A Whiter Shade of Grey
by Liliumscribe
Summary: Strange bedfellows are the way of the world. Hei and Misaki negotiate the complexities of their relationship while tracking the mysteries surrounding Project Dystopia.
1. Friend or Foe?

_My first Darker than Black fic! I adore Hei and Kirihara..._

_This story follows on from events at the end of Episode 25. _

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

Kirihara Misaki had the mother of all headaches. It was as if a dozen hammers were bearing down on the walls of her cranium. She valiantly made some effort to move. _Must get up._ But collapsed back with a quiet moan into the dilapidated sofa that was her bed. The last thing she remembered was this feeling of being pulled into some kind of vortex and then suddenly it stopped. Her eyelids were inordinately heavy and she had a sinking feeling that she was not in her own home. _Have I been drugged?_

"You've suffered a concussion… Officer Kirihara. You should rest." A monotonous female voice spoke.

"Where am I?" She muttered weakly.

"In a safe place."

Misaki tried to look around. She could barely make out the crumbling wall and torn wallpaper. Without her spectacles, Misaki knew she had as much chance as a bat of seeing her surroundings. _Where are my glasses, I wonder._

"Who are you?" She could barely get the words out.

"I am Yin."

"Did you bring me here?"

"No, not me."

Her instincts were good, everyone told her that… and her instincts were telling her that she was safe. For now. Logic dictated that if these people wanted her dead, she would've been already. This Yin… was she an angel watching over her or a watchdog ready to rip her to shreds at the first sign of trouble?

A fragrant odour permeated the atmosphere. Garlic… or onions? It appeared that someone was cooking.

_Is that fried rice I smell? _

"How long have I been here?"

"3 days."

"3 days?" Misaki echoed. Her people were most likely worried. "I need to go…"

"You shouldn't move, Officer Kirihara. You're not in any condition to go anywhere."

As much as she hated to admit it, Misaki knew that Yin was right. She hardly had any strength to talk much less move. She resigned herself to the fact that she was was helpless as a babe, wherever she was… as a prisoner perhaps. They were living in dangerous times, nothing could be certain… no one could be trusted. What was it that November 11 had said to her? The line between ally and enemy had become blurred.

There was talk about a war brewing between normals and contractors now that contractors were a known quantity in the public imagination. It wasn't the first time she had wondered if she had chosen the right path… to allow humanity to forge its own destiny on this planet… a place where normals and contractors can co-exist, if such a possibility could exist. Could a war be averted? Misaki was doubtful and she hated the thought that she would be embroiled in one.

It was a lonely life she had chosen… being a law enforcement officer, she saw things that she hoped others might never. Death was an everyday reality. Not that she feared the possibility of death but emotionally, it did take its toll on her. Law enforcement was her vocation… her great calling to right wrongs but now things were hardly black and white. Most thought that Kirihara Misaki became a cop because of her father but really it was a lot simpler than that… she was an idealist, she believed in justice. But now, she was starting to doubt in that very justice she had sworn to uphold. Kirihara was not afraid of dying… but of failing… of making the wrong choice. The everyday uncertainty of her choices was tearing her apart.

The fog was lifting and she could gradually feel herself gaining control of her extremities.

"Please… can I have some water?"

The young woman called Yin got up and ambled to another room. Before long, she returned with a glass in her hand.

"Do you need help?"

"Please."

Using her right hand, Yin propped Misaki up at an angle and carefully put the glass to her mouth while slowly letting the water trickle down her mouth.

_She's stronger than she looks._ Misaki noted.

The sips turned to gulps and soon Misaki downed the entire glass of water. She was still thirsty but thought it best to wait a while before trying again.

That smell of something delectable returned to her consciousness as that aroma of something stir-fried wafted through the air. _Whatever it is, it smells wonderful. Food… when was the last time I ate?_

She had been in a stakeout with Saito… it had been hamburgers as usual. They spotted the target and she left the hamburger half eaten on her seat. In the heat of the chase, they were separated and stood face to face with the target… she tried to run but was rendered immobile. That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.

The aroma in the room became stronger until it assailed her nostrils.

"Eat." It was a familiar voice… one she hadn't heard for some time…

"It's you." She managed a feeble smile. "Did you bring me here?"

"Eat… you must be hungry…" He repeated, offering her a bowl of friend rice.

_When was the last time I had home-made cooking?_ Kirihara couldn't remember. She made some attempt to grab at the soup spoon but only succeeded in fumbling it around.

He took the spoon from her and fed her a mouthful. She took it eagerly at first but did not have the strength to chew vigorously as was her habit. He waited patiently until she motioned for him to give her more. She took another mouthful and sank into her bed.

"Li…"

"Didn't I tell you before? That person no longer exists." He spoke… neither harshly nor angrily.

"To my mind he does… I have pleasant memories of him… his voracious appetite, how he loved the stars, the way he reminisced about sister and how he couldn't swing a bat to save his life." She spoke softly. "I miss him…"

"He was a phantom, a disguise… a convenient mask to don for a time."

"I refuse to believe that that was all he was…"

"He was a lie." There was a profound sadness in his voice.

"Was he? So was everyone else, it seems." Misaki mused. "But for a lie, he was brimming with earnestness. He saved my life, more than once, it seems and I haven't had the chance to thank him yet."

Misaki was beginning to tire and closed her eyes…

"What should I call you then, BK-201 aka Li Shanshung aka Hei aka The Black Death God?"

"Hei."

"I assume that I am here because you saved my life again."

"I happened to be in the neighbourhood."

"Are you stalking me?" She said half-jokingly.

"No… just watching and waiting…"

"Why?"

"Because I think we can help each other."

"You want me to help you?"

"As long as the Syndicate exists, there can never be peace between contractors and normals."

"What if the Syndicate is right… and that there can never be peace between contractors and normals."

"You don't really believe that, do you, Kirihara Misaki?"

"I don't know what I believe some days… I'm so tired…" Her eyelids were heavy and her body was giving way.

"Rest… we can talk later… when you're feeling better."

"So tired…" Misaki mumbled as she gradually drifted off. Soon she was fast asleep.

"Hei?"

"Hmm…"

"Do you trust her?"

"I do. I have to. There's really no one else."


	2. Do you know what you're asking of me?

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 2**

"Do you know what you're asking me to do?"

"Yes." Was the calm, collected answer.

"I don't think you do."

"Kirihara… you know why I asked you."

"Do I?"

"Because… you are the only person that I can trust to do the right thing."

"Spying on the people I work with… on my superiors… That's the right thing to do?"

"It's not spying…"

"Isn't it? Then what do you call it?"

There was a momentary silence. Kirihara Misaki was now wide awake and grappling with her conscience. She had not recovered fully but enough to spar with the man in the black cloak. He was sitting across from her looking characteristically calm and sympathetic.

"I call it… bringing down the Syndicate."

"It's.. not right… I'm a police officer and I have sworn to uphold the law." She cried desperately.

"But there are those who would use the law to pervert the course of truth and justice. You know that better than anyone else."

Misaki could not deny it… her own superior officer, Captain Horai, had been a significant player in the said Syndicate. All the time, she was taking orders… she had been a pawn in the stratagems of the shadowy forces that lurked in the echelons of power that governed the planet.

"I am not having this conversation." She shook her head in defeat.

"Then, what sort of conversation do you want us to have?" He spoke gently, his eyes boring into hers.

"Anything… but this…" She averted her eyes.

"You are a good person, Kirihara Misaki… which is why you wrestle with this. But there are many who don't share your scruples. They don't care what they have to do to get the job done. They have no trouble killing or letting innocents die We need to get up to speed."

"Fight fire with fire, eh?"

"Only if we have to."

"Violence… bloodshed… war… all the things I have abhorred…"

"Kirihara, we are already at war whether you and I like it or not."

"Damn you, Li, I should have shot you when I had the chance." Was Misaki's angry retort.

"If you did… where would we be then?" Again his voice was placid, kind almost. It reminded her of the Li she had known… the Li that she had liked.

Misaki sighed. She knew he was right about all of it. Still it annoyed her… and intrigued her. How could a man be so exasperating one moment and so gentle the next? Li, Hei or whatever else he called himself was a contradiction within a contradiction. He was a mask wearing a mask and who knows what else was lurking underneath that. Misaki was tempted to find out… but quickly berated herself for being too eager. There was no time for such distractions… she had a job to do and it troubled her that she would have to wade through murky waters to do it.

* * *

I don't think she can be bought or threatened… remember what happened to Horai? 

_It would be a shame to terminate her. Everyone has their price._

Not her… I don't think… at least not in the usual way…

_Do we have any leverage? Any strong ties to anyone?_

Apart from her father, Kirihara Naoyasu, there is her high school friend, Ishizaki Kanami from the National Astronomical Observatory.

_Both are a bit too high profile for us to use._

Other than that, she's very much the loner. Her career is her life.

_Not much to go on. No boyfriends, lovers… that sort of thing?_

Nothing.

_Very unusual for a woman… especially one that's quite attractive._

Not really. These days many women are career oriented. She's a loner, driven and idealistic... typical of this kind of personality.

_There must be something… there always is. Let's bring in TP-234 for this._

* * *

"Hey chief… we were really worried about you." Saito commented. "We searched everywhere for you within a 5 km radius. Couldn't imagine where you had gone." 

"I'm sorry to have made everyone worry. But that contractor we were chasing must've kidnapped me and tried to pump me for information. I woke up with the worst headache and I had no idea where I was for a while. Thanks for coming to get me."

"Well, you're alive and well… that's the most important thing."

"The doctor's going to keep me under observation overnight but I should be back at work in a couple of days."

"Alright boss, we'll let you rest now. Get better soon." Matsumoto prodded the other two and gestured for them to leave.

"Don't worry I will."

Misaki found that mixing the truth with lies was the best approach. But she hated doing it. It went against the grain. These men were almost like family to her and she spent more time with them than anyone else. In a strange way, she was fond of them and it hurt her that she had to view them with as much mistrust as her enemies. The world that Misaki was trying to protect was riddled with so much distrust and now she would be dragged into the fray as well.

Her thoughts turned to Hei… Li… BK-201… How long would it take for the powers that be to realize that he is still on the prowl. She didn't know why she instinctively trusted him. Was it because he saved her life? Or was it because of her brief brush with Li? Perhaps it was both. More importantly, why did he trust her? She could have quite easily turned him in… and yet, like herself, he had merely been a pawn for the Syndicate. As yet, there weren't too many who knew the truth. Perhaps that was the bond between them. But there was more to it… she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

* * *

_Hei… dear brother_

Bai? Is that you…?

_You like her, don't you?_

Who?

_You don't have to pretend with me… I know you… A part of me lingers in your consciousness._

Why haven't you spoken to me before?

_There was no reason to._

And now?

_I know why you like her… She's a determined idealist… like you…_

Me? An idealist?

_But be careful, dear brother… don't let your emotions cloud your judgment._

Have I ever?

_You will need to be strong… for her sake… to see it through to the end._

Hei woke with a start. Was that a dream or was it real? Did he really hear Bai? Or was it his secret self chiding him for drawing Kirihara into this morass of deceit and distrust? Hei told himself he didn't have a secret self anymore… he's had too many secret selves in his brief lifetime but try as he might, he couldn't deny that the voice in him was right, he did like her but he didn't know to what extent and he was not about to find out.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Thanks to Wayra, Saiyuki, Omnicat, Kira and Green for your reviews. I appreciated your comments greatly and felt inspired by them to continue._

_When I started writing the first part, I had no idea where I was going with it. It began as a missing scene... but now for better or for worse, I have decided to make it much more Hei and Misaki oriented. I am now planning to write a series of vignettes around their growing attraction for another while they battle the Syndicate and an assortment of baddies. My reasons for doing this is three fold. Firstly, I am ridiculously fond of the pairing. Secondly, I am concurrently writing another much more researched based fanfic for another fandom and thirdly, I can't write action scenes to save my life even if I have been a scifi fan for donkeys years.  
_

_I have also made the decision to change the "Organization" to "Syndicate" which to my mind has a slightly more sinister undertone to it. I understand from the kanji that "syndicate" is probably a better translation.  
_

_Once again, I would appreciate any comments that anyone would care to make._


	3. Do you have a few moments to spare?

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 3  
**

"Inspector Kirihara… can you spare me a few moments?" A tall, Caucasian gentleman in a navy blue suit approached her as she attempted to leave the police headquarters.

"What is this about?" She asked curiously.

"We have some information regarding your latest case… it's about the arsonist contractor that you're currently on the look out for."

"Who are you?"

"I'm John Franks, I'm with the CIA." The man flashed his identification. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"What's the CIA's interest in all of this?"

"We think he may be a spy for the North Koreans."

"Really? That's new to me. Well, I'm curious… come with me."

* * *

She was late and he was growing concerned. Misaki was supposed to meet him with some information about a mysterious contractor (PY-223) responsible for a series of arsons around the world. The scuttlebutt was that he had a powerful form of fire attack and he appeared to be targeting munitions plants. Furthermore, the word from Interpol was, he was making his way to Tokyo. No one was certain if he was a hired gun or just working on his own. Thus far law enforcement agencies were unsuccessful in bringing him down but Kirihara had the idea of enlisting his aid in tracking the elusive arsonist down. 

Hei was waiting at the designated place, wondering what could be holding her up. She'd been extremely punctual in the past making it to every single appointment even before he did.

So where was Misaki? Had she got the wrong location? That was unlike her. She was more reliable than the rising and the setting of the sun, and professional to the core. She certainly didn't get to where she was by slacking off. Had she been discovered or had gotten into trouble?… He wondered with growing unease.

"Yin…" He started to say.

"I'm already on it." The emotionless spirit medium was wading through the pond.

He waited some moments before asking her

"Is she in her apartment?"

"No."

"At work?"

"No."

"Where could she be?" Hei had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was wrong but he kept his voice steady.

"I've found her…"

* * *

_How did TP-234 go with the extraction?_

She was very strong… fought his probes all the way… She must've realized what was happening very quickly.

_Did he get anything out of her at all?_

The cases she was working on… childhood stuff. And just as we lost power, her thoughts were on someone or something called "Li".

_Li? Has TP-234 recovered?_

He has… and he's cutting his hair… as part of his remuneration…

_Did he say who or what she was thinking of?_

No… He felt a stab of pain in his chest and collapsed.

_Has he had a history of heart attacks?_

None that we know of.

_Interesting… The power generator? What of that?_

It seems to have suffered a power overload. The thing's probably older than me, I'm not surprised.

_Power overload… Curious, just at the crucial moment._

The clean-up crew is now on the job and we'll be doing a partial.

_Good._

Should we try again?

_Not yet… we don't want to arouse suspicions with too many memory lapses or wear her out. She needs to be at work tomorrow morning as if nothing happened. Where is the subject now?_

They've taken her home.

* * *

He stood at her balcony, the end of his black cloak blowing gentle with the evening breeze and stared at her body now comfortably tucked into her bed. Her hair, which was normally pinned up and tied into a pony tail was flowing loosely on her pillow. Normally a permanent fixture on her prim and proper mien, her spectacles were now resting on the bedside table. Her breathing was uneven and yet she looked strangely serene. It occurred to him not for the first time that there was a beautiful woman lurking under that often times austere façade. 

"Misaki… what have they done to you…" He whispered as he approached the bedridden cop.

He hadn't been sure if he had got there in time. She had been writhing in pain… evidently caused by that stocky contractor with the bad hair that he had to knock out. Was it torture? There were no visible marks. No, it was something else… she gave the appearance of being in sheer mental anguish.

At the warehouse, he had restrained himself from taking her with him as he thought it would arouse more suspicions. But he watched and bided his time to see what they were intending to do afterwards. He followed them when they took her home. Seeing that she was sleeping, he let her sleep. He found her folio and went through it and found the information he was looking for. Clearly, she had been planning to keep the appointment but was taken against her will to that warehouse.

Were they from the Syndicate... ? Probably… Everything about what he saw smacked of a well-organized operation. Why were they after Misaki? Did they know about their arrangement? Probably not… or they would have followed her to the park.

He was naturally concerned for her well-being. She knew the risks and took them but still… he felt personally responsible for her safety.

After lingering around, wondering what he should do, he found refuge on the left corner of the balcony and went to sleep there.

* * *

"Li… I mean Hei… what are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Misaki was now awake and had found Hei snuggling in one corner on her balcony. 

She gave a big yawn and felt rather groggy in the head and wobbly in the knees. She felt herself falling and then felt someone grab onto her at the last moment.

"Thank you… I don't know why I'm a little off my game this morning. It was so hard to wake up."

"Don't you?" Hei looked at her quizzically.

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember what happened to you last night?"

"Did something happen that I should know about?"

Hei gave her a concerned look.

"You didn't make it to our 7 o'clock appointment." He stated flatly

"Did we have an appointment at 7? I completely forgot." Misaki was looking puzzled.

"Kirihara, you don't forget… you never forget…"

"But I did this time." Now she was really bewildered.

"Don't you remember being taken to a large warehouse on the east side? And interrogated?"

"No…" She stammered.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember leaving the office and then coming home. I remember going to bed early because I was tired."

_They've performed a memory wipe… those villains… Maybe it's for the best. But still, it begs the question… what did they want from her?_

"Hei, you're bleeding…"

In his anxiety over her, he had forgotten about the cut on his hand that he sustained when he broke into the warehouse. His makeshift bandage had come loose, which is why the wound had reopened.

"It's just a cut. I'm fine." He tried to brush off her concerns.

"Here, let me take a look at that. Sit here, don't move and I'll be back to take care of that."

Returning with the first aid kit, she took his hand and she staunched the flow of the blood with a piece of gauze. She then gently cleaned the gash and followed that by wrapping the bandage tightly around the hand.

He was surprised at how deftly her fingers were in tending to his wound.

"You've done this before." He commented distractedly.

"I'm a cop… remember?" She remarked and then massaged his hand. This sent shivers up his spine and he quickly withdrew his hand.

"I should probably leave now." He averted his eyes. "I just wanted to be sure that you were alright."

"Li… Hei… you don't have to leave right away. Stay and have breakfast."

"I should go.. I'll leave by the emergency escape." He turned away to avoid looking at her lest he should be tempted to remain. As quick as a whistle, he took off his black cloak, folded it, slipped it into his back pocket and made his way towards the front door.

"Don't forget to change the dressing!" She called out as he made his quick exit.

Misaki was left perplexed. _I wonder what that was all about. He comes and goes like an apparition in the night._

She didn't know what to make of him at times… She felt instinctively that he could be trusted and he seemed concerned enough for her welfare.

She thought about what he had said… it was hard to believe that she had forgotten about the meet… it _was_ unlike her. Didn't he also mention that she had been interrogated but why did she not have any memory of that?

For the first time in weeks, Misaki began to have an inkling of the situation she had placed herself in.

* * *

_Do we know what happened to BK-201?_

Nothing definitively…

_I'll like to see his file._

Why… what are you thinking?

_I'm not sure… yet…  
_

* * *

He stood on the roof of Misaki's apartment block and stared into the vast sea of high rise buildings. He took his time to bask in the glow of the morning light, while ruminating over the previous evening's events. A dilemma had arisen. Regrettably, her safety had been compromised and he could not protect her without compromising his own need for secrecy. Despite all that had happened during the night as well as all his fears for her safety, all he could think about at this moment was how tender her touch was and how much he had wanted to stay by her side. It worried him… that in such dangerous times… that he could so easily be tempted by such distractions. 


	4. Why me?

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 4 "Why me?"**

"Inspector Kirihara, the higher ups want you and your team to start searching for BK-201 again. Apparently he's on the move. Most likely in Tokyo."

"How do they know? Didn't they lose track of his star the last time?"

"They've received information from a reliable source."

"I've heard that before." was the sarcastic rejoinder. "And what or who is this reliable source?"

"Well, it seems that he might have been responsible for the death of PY-223."

"Really?" Kirihara demanded. "So how did they come to that conclusion?"

"Forensics found burnt marks in his internal organs, and evidence of electric shock wounds."

"That could be from anything… not necessarily BK-201. That place was a munitions plant and PY-223 could have bitten off more than he could chew. Sounds like someone's trying to lead the investigation along a certain direction."

"Well, those are you orders… like it or not." The new superior officer said sharply. "You seem keen to reject the BK-201 angle, aren't you?"

"I'm just sick of these wild goose chases that lead no where."

"That's not for you nor I to decide."

"Anyway, why us?"

"Because you're the resident expert on BK-201. Your team has had some experience with him the past."

"Some expert I am." Kirihara grumbled. "I haven't caught him yet, have I?"

"I repeat… Those are your orders."

Kirihara put on a creditable show of being disgruntled and indifferent but on the inside, she was far from the picture of nonchalance she was trying to project. It hadn't taken them long to put two and two together. Someone in the higher echelons of power was watching closely, possibly a legacy of the Syndicate. Blast! When did they cotton on to Hei? She wondered. She pulled herself together and convinced herself that perhaps the puppet masters were merely grasping at straws and stabbing in the dark for the merest hint of contractor activity. Obviously they feared the Black Grim Reaper, who had the power to deflect the rays off a particle accelerator, whose movements and motives were a mystery to them. He had no demonstrable allegiances and was no longer the pawn of the Syndicate.

Her superior, Captain Kurio was somewhat surprised at her apparent belligerence. He had heard that Kirihara was a straight, team player… level headed and focused. Her reluctance to take on BK-201 though understandable to some degree, was also strange in light of her history of tackling unusually difficult cases involving contractors. Perhaps her brush with official corruption had made her much more cynical of bureaucracy.

"Kirihara, I'm not Captain Horai."

"Huh?"

"I want you to know that there is no secret agenda here… at least not from me. We are police officers and it is our job to investigate all kinds of leads even if they turn out to be dead ends. I know that it was a huge blow to you to find out that Captain Horai was not the man you thought he was and was running his own agenda. He betrayed what this office stood for but let me assure that not all of us are like this. I may be your superior officer but I'm still a law enforcement officer underneath all these administrative trappings. As a law enforcement officer, I believe it is important to get to the bottom of things no matter how things appear. I'm sure you feel the same way too."

There was a ring of sincerity in Captain Kurio's voice which caused Kirihara to feel a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry, sir… I was out of line, sir… It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't." Kurio gave a knowing smile. "Between you and me, I know exactly how you feel. I wasn't always a captain, you know."

"Thank you, sir."

Kirihara left his office and went to her desk. She heaved a sigh of relief. Captain Kurio seemed like a decent sort of man but it was early days yet. In this game, Kirihara was quickly learning that no one can be trusted until proven so. There was also the matter of BK-201… she was in a predicament… she knew she would have to make her stand some time soon but didn't anticipate that it would be forced on her this soon.

* * *

She arrived early at the designated meeting place and breathed in the evening air. A lovely cool breeze swept by and it enveloped her in a gentle embrace. For one brief moment she found some respite from all the weighty matters that had fallen on to her shoulders. It wouldn't last long… the simple things in life had to give way to the complications that would arise. There were still so many unanswered questions churning through her mind. What happened at the munitions plant? What happened that night when Hei insisted that she had missed their appointment? He had been particularly tight-lipped about that one. And most importantly, why would anyone immediately conclude that BK-201 was on the move again just from a few bits of circumstantial evidence taken from the munitions incident with PY-223? 

Kirihara lamented at the way things were headed… her life had been so much simpler before embroiling herself in some plot to take down the Syndicate. Everything seemed much more black and white when she was an ordinary rank and file officer. She, at least, knew where she stood in the scheme of things. Curse that Capt Horai for opening her eyes to level of corruption in the civil service. If the Syndicate had positioned itself all through positions of power, it was going to be near impossible to distinguish who the good guys or the bad guys were in this madness. Her mind was full but the worst of it was that she didn't have anyone to confide in. Except for him. But he was as communicative as an owl in the day. She was so caught up in her ruminations that she didn't hear him slip alongside her.

"You're early." He commented after a while.

"I had nothing else better to do." She replied casually.

"So the Tokyo police are twiddling their thumbs now that that pyromaniac has been taken care of."

"What exactly happened with PY-223?"

"We got into an argument and he lost."

"The idea was to capture him alive." Kirihara grumbled.

"He had other ideas."

The striking thing about Hei was that he bore an eerie, impassive calm in his demeanour on every occasion. So far removed from the bumbling, diffident alter ego that she had gotten to know in the past. She often wondered if Li was still there lurking in the shadows biding his time. Like it or not, it had been an amazing performance. Outwardly, the two men could not have been more different.

"The Tokyo police is now on the hunt for you. They have set up a task force to capture you."

"So who's heading up this task force?" He asked, apparently unfazed.

There was a momentary pause.

"Me." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"They chose well." was all he said in reply.

"You don't seem concerned." She looked at him, wondering what was going on inside that facade of indifference.

"Should I be?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'd turn you in?"

"If you were going to, you would have done it already."

"It's a lady's prerogative to change her mind… not to mention the certainty of promotion with the capture of the world's most wanted contractor."

"I didn't think such things mattered that much to you." He gave her a penetrating look.

"How well do you know me?"

"Well enough…"

"Do you really… I wonder…" She deliberated. "You know my life would be so much simpler if you weren't in it?"

_As would mine_. "I have no doubt."

"Aren't you worried that I might betray you?" She looked at him curiously.

"The possibility always exists of course… but I doubt it." He responded with a hint of a smile.

Kirihara had a question… something she had been meaning to ask Hei for some time now.

"Why do you trust me?"

"Because I know you… "

"That's it?"

"Because you still care about things like truth… you have compassion… and you're willing to put your life on the line for the greater good."

"The greater good?… I wonder what that is any more…"

"Are you having doubts, Inspector Kirihara?" There was a trace of gentleness in his voice that invited confidence.

"That would be an understatement." She snorted.

His hand fell lightly onto her right shoulder. "Trust your instincts… they've brought you this far and they will take you through any crisis."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it."

"That is something only you can decide."

"Decisions, decisions… I became a cop because it seemed so simple who the good and the evil elements were. I wanted to be an instrument of justice… to help put away evildoers. Then I discover that good men do evil things for the sake of the greater good. Is it any wonder that I'm confused?"

"You wrestle with this because you are a decent human being and this is why I have no fear of trusting you."

"Yet I will be powerless to help you when push comes to shove."

"Misaki, eventually they'll find me and when that time comes, I want you to be the one to bring me in."

"Why me?"

"Because I'd rather it be a friend…"

_A friend? Me?_

If this was his idea of a friendship, then it was an odd one. Months of clandestine meetings… the casual drop offs… philosophical and moral discussions were more the hallmarks of a conspiracy. A conspiracy of two. Perhaps three, if one included the doll. But on this lonely night, Kirihara found him strangely comforting in the way that Li had been. Perhaps that was what drew her to him in the first place. But this friend would never stay long enough for her to plumb his depths.

"Thank you for the information. I suggest you return home and go about business as usual. I'm sure you'll continue to keep me informed." With that remark, Hei turned his face away and took briskly to his feet.

As the Black Grim Reaper strode off in the opposite direction, a thought struck Kirihara as she strolled in the moonlight towards her apartment.

_He called me Misaki…_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Apologies for such a late update (looking guilty). Thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in this story and a special thanks to those who took time out to drop in a review._


	5. Project Dystopia

**A Whiter Shade of Grey **

**Part 5 "Project Dystopia"**

Foreign Affairs Department Section 4 was closeted in a meeting with the chief of the Security Bureau.

"Project Dystopia? What is Project Dystopia?" Saito Yusuke piped up.

"Among many things, it is an advocacy group of contractors led by this man, Lucien Blair." The chief of the Security Bureau, Capt. Kurio cleared his throat, fumbled with the button on his remote and commenced his slide presentation.

"Interesting name for a group… a place of total misery, oppression, and violence. Someone is either mad or has an interesting sense of humour." Misaki remarked.

"This group, like Evening Primrose, is keen to promote the cause of contractors and they are seeking assurances from governments around the globe that contractors not be discriminated against politically. To have their own political representatives in the United Nations to represent their interests. They claim to be advocates of the policy of non-violence and wants the governments of the world to fund a commune for contractors in South America, somewhere in the vicinity on Heaven's Gate. This commune will also consist of an open, research facility overseen by an independent task force which will operate under the auspices of the United Nations. The facility, according to Project Dystopia, will exist to better understand the contractor phenomenon."

"So they want their own PANDORA?" Yutaka Kono interjected.

"It does appear that way. They harbour deep mistrust against the present UN administration and doubt that they are capable of working in the interests of contractors."

_I don't blame them. _But Misaki was careful to keep that thought to herself.

"Many of his supporters see Lucien Blair as a genuine political force in this entire issue. He has accused governments of the world for being complicit in attempts to vilify contractors by igniting conflict between normals and contractors."

"What's his background?"

"His background is in environmental law. Graduated from Oxford fifteen years ago. Son of a British school teacher and French fight attendant. Was a key figure in the drafting of the Kyoto Protocol and is well-known as an environmental activist. He believes that Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate are the result of environmental disasters covered up by governments. He has been demanding since he started on his soapbox that records of Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate be made public. He's squeaky clean… no record… nothing as yet that we can pin anything on anyway."

Misaki chimed in at this point. "He might be a maverick but it doesn't sound like he's out to cause trouble. As far as I can tell, he's only guilty of speaking too freely… and trying to get a tight-lipped international community to be more accountable. I can't say that makes him a potential criminal. "

"The higher ups are nervous. He has several hundred adherents around the world and there's a groundswell of support for him even from among normals."

"The higher ups are always nervous especially where their secrets are concerned." Misaki muttered under her breath. "Where do we come in? You say, he's British."

"He's arriving in Japan in two days… visiting Tokyo and Osaka to speak at a couple of conferences on how he thinks the contractor phenomenon are somehow related to global warming and how governments need to put more effort into determining the causes that brought about Heaven's Gate."

The chief paused for a minute. "It's your job to keep tabs on him… find out who he's in contact with while he's here… whether he has any links to any unsavoury contractor elements or activity in this country or anywhere. Keep it low key… the last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves and garner publicity for him. The whole contractor issue has exacerbated in the last two months and is likely to boil over if don't stay vigilant."

"So what it boils down to is, the higher ups want us to spy on him."

"We prefer to think of it as a preventative measure. Anyway, those are your orders, Kirihara."

"What about BK-201?"

"Continue to pick up any leads related to him when they arise but for now, Blair is more of an issue."

"Yes, sir…" Misaki picked up the case file and wandered absent-mindedly to her desk. _The entire situation with the contractors is a shemozzle. All this cloak and dagger stuff. Feeding the public with half-truths… cover up, hidden agendas. It's getting from bad to worse. When will the authorities start to treat the contractors as potential assets rather than liabilities. And the Syndicate… or whatever they call themselves now… what is their role in all of this? Still playing off contractors against each other? When the public finds out how deep all of this runs, all hell is going to break lose. _

_If they ever find out…_

"Inspector…" A voice from nearby broke into her reverie.

Misaki sat up to see who had addressed her. "Saito… what's up?" Wondering if she'd been daydreaming.

"Is everything alright? You seem a bit… _distracted_."

"I'm… fine… just tired, I guess. We've been chasing ghosts, specters and mad men. After a while, I start to wonder why."

"You don't seem happy about this assignment."

As was her habit, Misaki did not respond immediately. She furrowed her eyebrows before saying. "I can't help feeling that there's a lot more to the whole thing than what we've been told."

"How do you mean?"

"It's our job to investigate contractor activity… but this man isn't even a contractor as far as we know. He's openly sympathetic to the contractor cause but he's also a lawyer with an international reputation… What we have is at worst a radical, idealistic crank. If he were a terrorist, the intelligence agencies around the world would have sniffed it out already. If they wanted to discredit him publicly… it wouldn't be that difficult… round up a few experts and debunk his theories and that would be the end of his credibility and political life. But they haven't. So what does that tell you?"

"Er… that he's a conniving crackpot… that he's managed to keep himself under the radar thus far and eluded capture."

Misaki looked unconvinced. "Perhaps… but I don't buy it." Her eyes glowered suspiciously. "I think… he must have something that they want. "

"What…"

"I don't know…"

* * *

"If you hit any harder, you liable to break something and it won't be the bat."

Misaki was jolted out of the stupor she was in and faced her uninvited visitor. Releasing unwonted tension on a daily basis was becoming a habit with her. Regular visits to the practice nets had become a coping mechanism.

"Father, what are you doing here?"

Superintendent Supervisor Kirihara Naoyasu was standing a safe distance away from his daughter, who appeared to be on a batting rampage with her favourite baseball pitching nets.

"Why can't a father visit his only daughter?"

"I've heard that line before, father. How did you find me?"

"I am a cop too… remember. I have ways and means." He remarked offhandedly.

_He has eyes and ears everywhere. I can't get away from his watchful eye, unfortunately._

"Besides, Misaki, you're a creature of habit. You don't have much of a social life and there aren't too many places you hang out at."

_True… The pathetic life I lead has a disturbing sense of predictability._

"So what can I do for the Superintendent Supervisor? May I remind you that I am off duty?"

"I am here on unofficial business."

"I'm flattered."

"Seriously, Misaki… I'm worried about you."

"Why? I'm doing my job, aren't I?"

"Are you? You seem to be doing it under a great deal of protest."

"Really… I hadn't noticed." Misaki continued to do battle with hurtling baseballs with increasing forcefulness. She had some inkling where the conversation was headed.

"Well, a number of people have… and they're concerned… about… your… effectiveness."

"I don't know what they concerned about… I'm still getting the job done."

"They seem to think that you're showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Post-traumatic stress… that's ridiculous…" Misaki snapped and in her anger allowed the bat to fall out of her hand.

"Is it? Kurio says that you're exhibiting signs of latent aggression."

"I'm fine, father…"

"This is a serious matter. They think that the incident with Capt Horai coupled with the destruction of the particle accelerator has adversely impacted on your capacity to… er… make proper judgments."

_You mean its because I'm not their willing dog anymore. Are they so afraid of me now that they're watching me 24/7?_

"I got over that… it's water under the bridge."

"They… recommend and I concur… that you go for counseling. It might be good to talk to someone about it."

_So that they can get inside my brain… find out what I'm thinking… catch me at my most vulnerable, observe if I'm a worthy team player._

"No thanks."

"It's not a request, Inspector Kirihara. Your career as a law enforcement officer is on the line here. I'm now talking to you as your superior officer. It's an order. Two 1 hour sessions a week with the police psychologist for the next six weeks. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely… toe the line or start looking for a new job." She muttered sarcastically. "Got it sir." She gave a half-hearted salute.

Her father shot her an exasperated glance. "Trust me, I'm looking out for you here, Misaki… you and your career."

"I wonder if it's my career that you're looking out for."

"What are you implying here?"

"Nothing… just trying to release some of that latent aggression you were talking about."

* * *

The stakeout was the perfect opportunity for Misaki to mull over the previous day's events. Sitting in car for hours waiting for something to go down was for her the best time to sort through the nagging issues that have become commonplace in her chaotic life. With her mind already in moral turmoil, she was understandably less than happy about being forced to participate in counseling sessions. Nevertheless, the confrontation with her father had a silver lining… it brought attention to her own carelessness. Quite unconsciously, she had allowed her malcontent to be seen once too often and the people around her were evidently catching on. Even Saito, who wasn't the brightest light bulb in the force had noticed that something wasn't quite right. Misaki knew that she had to make up her mind and take a much more decisive stand over her newfound undercover role. It wasn't enough to vent her suspicions recklessly and frustrate inwardly over them, she needed to be more _ad hoc_, targetting specific leads, chasing up on them and most importantly, to embrace the role in its entirety, the consequences be damned.

It was during such times that Kirihara was glad to be single and work directed. It was easier to obsess over these things without someone to come home to. She didn't particularly enjoy coming home to an empty flat but it was preferable to having to lie to someone that one cared about.

Saito, in the back seat, gave a polite yawn and stretched himself like a cat. He was toying with putting his legs up on the seat to make himself more comfortable.

"Don't fall asleep, Saito…" Kirihara barked, to which Saito sat to attention. He knew better than to incur the wrath of his superior officer who already appeared to be in a cantankerous state of mind.

"Of course not… m'am." He replied meekly and sat motionlessly. He was desperately hoping that Lucien Blair would make his appearance sooner rather than later… to save him from a stiff neck the next day.

Blair was giving a paper at the Tokyo Institute of Scientific Research and was likely to be fielding questions. Kirihara had been interested in attending to see what sort of man they were dealing with but thought better of it. It would have been a serious breach of protocol if they broke cover.

Yutaka was chomping on his third _gyoza_, when he noticed a yellow cab pull up and Blair running towards it.

"Boss… The subject is on the move."

"Follow him… but don't look too conspicuous…"

"Affirmative."

The taxi drove for about ten minutes, meandering through night time traffic before stopping outside the Tokyo Holiday Inn.

"This isn't his hotel." Yutaka remarked.

"No, it isn't." Kirihara noted thoughtfully. "Alright, both of you… take the car round the back and wait there for me."

"Are you going in, boss?" This time it was Saito who spoke.

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"It will look very suspicious if all three of us go in after him. Anyway, he's not a known threat."

"Why go in at all?"

"He might be meeting someone of consequence. This could provide us with useful intel."

"There's no way of knowing that."

"No, but I need to be sure. If I don't meet up in say…" Kirihara glanced at her watch momentarily. "an hour, come and get me. Also keep an eye out for anyone taking the back exit in a hurried manner."

"OK, boss but do be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

Although it was after ten, the lobby was still a hive of activity… with patrons coming and going. Keeping out of sight, Kirihara surveyed the area and caught a glimpse of Blair at the reception area apparently making inquiries. The receptionist made a call on his behalf and then, he strode briskly into the nearby lift.

_Blast… I'm going to lose him._

Unfortunately for her, Blair went into the lift with half a dozen or so patrons. _Wonderful… So near and yet so far... I let him slip out of my grasp._

Turning around towards the reception desk, she felt a warm arm slip around her waist. _Hei! How did he…_

"Act casual, Kirihara… I heard the receptionist tell him that his contact has a room on the seventh floor."

"What…"

"Not now." He spoke barely above a whisper. "Are you interested in following this man or not?"

Kirihara refrained from commenting and allowed herself to be dragged into the lift.

Unsurprisingly, it was a silent trip up the elevator, with Kirihara wondering how Hei had come to be there and how oddly comforting it was to have him by her side and his arm around her. Still, it ended all too quickly… No sooner were they in the lift, were they out of it. _If only_… Kirihara thought wistfully and then remembered in time that she was on assignment. Reacting to her own embarrassment, she tore away from his side. This was not the time to mix business with… whatever it was that one was not supposed to mix business with. Hei seemed not particularly bothered by her actions and followed stealthily behind her. Kirihara could not shake off a nebulous feeling of dissatisfaction.

Catching up to her position, he motioned for her to stop and follow him. "This way, I believe, Inspector."

Confused by his apparent inconstancy, Kirihara experienced another pang of disappointment at his cold, formal address. At least there was no danger of _him _mixing business with pleasure.

"You seem to know your way around." Kirihara observed.

"A previous assignment." was all he would say in response.

As they made a quick turn round the corner, they caught a glimpse of Blair, at the door, shaking hands with someone. As Blair turned to look behind him, Hei and Misaki leaned backwards to avoid being seen.

"We need to get a better look at Blair's contact." Misaki commented as they cautiously peered out of their hiding place.

"I have an idea. I hope you don't mind, inspector." Hei promptly grabbed Misaki by the hand and strode past the room in question. Acting on the pretext that the opposite room to Blair's meet was theirs, Hei slammed Misaki against the door and leaned over her, pressing his lips against hers… softly then deepening it.

Misaki was completely taken aback but with the greatest of difficulty reminded herself that she had a job to do. He had assumed she would understand his intentions and she did but was desperately fighting the temptation to give herself over to the kiss. Overwhelmed by a barrage of unfamiliar sensations, she barely had the wits to think clearly, scarcely able to keep her attention on the clandestine meeting she was meant to witness. Looking past his shoulder, the entire scenario seem to pale into insignificance by the emotions that racked her mind. At times like these she felt her inexperience with such matters acutely. _Is this what it's like? Is this how the other half lives?_

Blair's contact was shrouded in a cape which meant that Misaki could barely make out his or her shape or features. The only thing that was certain was that the unknown individual was a little shorter than Blair and the two spoke to one another with some degree of familiarity.

"Who's that…" She heard the shadowy figure ask urgently.

"Just a young couple who seem to be in something of a hurry." Blair gave a chuckle. "Can't seem to get to the room quick enough. I'm sure you remember what it was like... the passion and impatience of youth."

"Come in…"

"Do you have it…"

"I don't have a lot of time to waste." was the last thing Misaki heard before the door click behind them.

Assured that Blair and his contact were out of sight, Hei released his hold on her and looked her over "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." Misaki was still emerging out of her kiss induced stupor. _My first kiss… while in the line of duty. Sigh... life is full of unexpected ironies and I seem to bear the brunt of many of them._

"I hope I didn't hurt you." His eyes flashed momentarily with concern.

"No… no… of course not…" Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. _But it ended too soon._

"I should have given you some warning."

"It's alright… there wasn't time…" She mumbled awkwardly. "It looks like you've done this kind of thing before.

"Only once before. Another assignment."

_Another assignment. The first time I've been equated to an 'assignment'. A rather romantic designation. No less from the world's most wanted contractor._

"Did you get a good look?"

Misaki shook her head. "It was too dark and the subject was wearing a cape."

Hei nodded. "I'll try and see if I can't get a better look from the window."

"Hei…" She pleaded as he turned around to leave.

He looked at her quizzically.

"Be careful."

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

_Racked by guilt and pressed by flattery, I decided to write a follow up to chapter 4 in spite of my heavy involvement in another fandom. A word of advice: Never, never try to write two fanfics of different genres simultaneously… it's insane. I don't know what got into me in the first place._

_I stopped at chapter 4 mainly because I found it hard to keep up with both stories. In actual fact, I had big plans for Hei and Misaki but I was afraid to convert them, not knowing how palatable people might find it if I took their relationship to the next level._

_As always, I appreciate all manner of reviews. I want to thank all the people who have shown so much interest in this story with their reviews, putting the story on alert and even on their favourites list. "Oh ye of great faith". I apologize for keeping you waiting and I must admit that this chapter was more fun to write than I had anticipated._

_**Last edited: 10 October 2010**  
_


	6. Whatever It Takes

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 6: "Whatever It Takes"**

* * *

BK-201 _aka_ Codename: Hei _aka_ The Black Grim Reaper _aka_ Li Shenshuang had crossed paths with many beautiful women in his time. Being a contractor did not mean that he was entirely immune to their charms.

In his line of business they had the tendency to be occupational hazards. Some dangerous... some deadly. But those were the easiest to dispose of.

Some others, on the other hand, were innocent bystanders... vulnerable and lonely souls... innocents at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Yet there were others who were willing pawns in a game they did not comprehend. From time to time he felt obliged to save them from themselves, to dispatch along the way, obstacles that hindered their road to survival. The Black Grim Reaper seldom sought the company of women but somehow they always managed to find their way to him. His emotional side was not so dulled that he would leave anyone truly hapless in a lurch.

Women were an enduring enigma to him. A long time ago there was _the one_... and for the longest time he believed he had been betrayed by her. Despite his being a contractor, her apparent betrayal had cut deep and left a festering wound he had preferred to ignore.

Having been once bitten and now twice shy, he found that by and large, a man in his position was better off without them. They had a habit of becoming too much of a distraction for his liking. As a rule they were overladen with baggage that only served to muddy matters. Companionship for contractors was a double edged sword fraught with too many variables. Variables which inevitably led to errors in judgement. Nonetheless, in the part of his brain that was prone to fall back on human whims, he understood that to avoid the fairer sex altogether would require powers even he did not possess.

But there was another he couldn't avoid. It was a matter partly of his own making. As she could scarcely be described as a damsel in distress nor a _femme fatale_, her intentions were harder to fathom. Glowering in the dim light of the room, she was eyeing him with a cold, steely stare. That she was furious, was evident. Her slight frame was trembling with rage brimming at the surface. Aside from being tense around the shoulders, he observed that her normally lily white hands were clenched in a tightened fist. She looked, to all intents and purposes, quite ready throw a punch in his direction.

Despite having spent more time with her in the last few months, the contractor was none the wiser regarding the internal life of Foreign Affairs Section 4's untiring team leader. Kirihara Misaki was a different kettle of fish even for a normal. While he admired her courage and determination, he suspected that there was a side to her that few would ever see or know. Like him, she wore a mask of control and unerring confidence but on the rare chance she let her guard down, he was surprised by the flashes of vulnerability that she displayed. A quality, if he were honest with himself, that added greatly to her attractiveness.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Her agitation was the tip of a volcano of barely concealed fury. "Did you really have to kill him?"

"It wasn't me." He noticed the lurking fire dancing in her eyes and wondered why he hadn't seen it before. It amused him and a fleeting smile passed his lips.

"People have a habit of dying like flies around you."

"I had no reason to kill him...

Hei was privately astonished that he should be under any obligation to explain himself to her... He was the Black Grim Reaper after all. Now a free agent, he answered to no one, least of all a mere cop. Still, there was an attractive defiance in those fiery eyes that he felt the need to pacify. It wasn't the anger that caught him unawares but the brewing passion that drove it. Beneath that businesslike facade of propriety, he sensed the rumblings of a profoundly passionate woman. Furthermore, despite all his previous misgivings and reservations, he found that bit of revelation fascinating.

"Do you need one?" She was playing up her belligerence for all it was worth.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't kill for sport."

"Of course not... only if they get in your way."

Hei could see that the discussion was rapidly degenerating into a sparring match.

"I assure you, Misaki, I did not kill that man." Again, he wondered why he felt compelled to justify himself. "He is no use to us dead." He added patiently.

_So it's us now, eh?_ Misaki noted with grim satisfaction. _What kind of "us" are we... or will we ever be?  
_

"Lucien Blair was not killed by me, I promise you that. When I left the building he was very much alive." Hei's expression softened as if to reassure her. "Don't take my word for it. The autopsy report will confirm it."

Struck by the ring of sincerity in his tone of voice and the logic of his statement, Misaki relaxed her arms and fists. Immediately, the tension in the air eased. Nonetheless, the deep seated emotions that had been goading the anger did not dissipate... only that the old mask was now replaced by a new one. It was the face of indifference. Consistent with that change, her eyes lost their lustre and was substituted by a dull glaze. Hei was almost sorry to see the cantankerous Misaki subdued.

"You are angry." He probed.

"Am I?" She turned away, averting his gaze. "I suppose I am." She whispered grudgingly. It was no use denying the obvious.

"With me? Or because we lost an important lead?"

Misaki had no answer. She did not know herself. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

* * *

Misaki was turning into a morass of conflicting emotions. Just thinking about the man who happened to be the most feared contractor in the world rendered her confused . She was learning to care for him in unexpected ways but felt sure that he did not and would not return the favour.

_The kiss was nothing. I am nothing to him. It is not necessary to expect much more._

It was becoming harder to be around him.

_Get a hold of yourself, Kirihara!_ She chided herself. _ You are working with him... romance has no place here. He is nothing but a ruthless killer. The man you liked and fell for is no more. Our present alliance is nothing but a temporary convenience to him. I am only a weapon in his arsenal. Nothing more. _

_Once his objectives are achieved, he will leave and I will be left to my own devices._

A man was dead. A British citizen of some notoriety dying unexpectedly on Japanese soil. He might or might not have been murdered. It had all the makings of an international incident. But all Kirihara Misaki could think about at that moment was her non-existent love life with a walking, talking, killing machine.

In a bid to gain mastery of her raging emotions, she threw out a question in frustration, "Tell me what you found out about Lucien Blair."

* * *

Clearly something was on her mind.

In the course of this perplexing conversation, a wall had sprung up between them. In a matter of seconds, Misaki's demeanour had changed from one of anger to indifference to business-as-usual. It was a regrettable state of affairs.

Hei studied her entire demeanour with renewed intensity. Something was amiss... He could sense that the source of her anger was directed toward him but saw no reason for it.

While Misaki was ready to change the subject, the contractor was not so easily deterred.

"Do you think so poorly of me?" He shot her a quizzical look.

_Does it matter? Do I matter in the scheme of things..._

"What I think of you is irrelevant..." She retorted evasively

"Not to me."

Misaki's heart skipped a beat. "It doesn't matter. Really."

"It matters to me that the people I work with find me trustworthy."

Misaki was surprised at hearing what appeared to be a heartfelt plea. At least as heartfelt as one would get out of a contractor.

"I... trust... you..." Misaki mumbled hesitantly.

_So... I am merely a colleague. And so what... Sheesh Kirihara Misaki you are a first class idiot! Anything is better than being a tool._

"Do you... really..." Hei reached out and with his gloved hand cupped her chin, lifting it to face him.

His hand touching her flesh sent a frisson right through her body, startling her out of her short-lived calm. "I do..." Misaki declared with more conviction than she was feeling. "It's my first time working with a contractor... I'm still trying to get my head around it."

Hei interpreted her reaction as repulsion. "I see." _Will I be no more than a criminal in her eyes?_

"This is ridiculous... Hei... Of course I trust you... I'm still alive, aren't I?" She smiled weakly at her own feeble attempt at humour.

Inwardly the contractor was far from convinced but reasoned that little would be achieved by pushing her further and over the edge. Evidently she was wrestling with issues... that went to the core of her being.

He cast his mind back to their early conversations together. Most likely working with him compromised many of her governing principles. Misaki had been a "true believer" in justice... in righting wrongs. Conspiring with a wanted covet operative like himself under the radar, in a quasi-vigilante situation was possibly the trigger to her internal turmoil.

He thought it better not to delve too far and drive her away. He needed her still, with all her best qualities: her strength, her courage and her determination.

Misaki allowed a sigh to escape her lips. This situation was getting beyond complicated.

"I've had a bad week... To top that, we lost an important lead. I'd rather we forget about me just now and get back to talking about Lucien Blair."

The contractor relented. "As you wish..."

"What happened? Did you gain any useful intel?"

"The person he was with was a woman... They appear to have a history... quite likely from while they were at university together."

"Did you get a name?"

"Clara... that's all he called her. That's all I got. No last name."

Misaki whipped out her notebook in a flash and jotted down the name. Now that her mind was being usefully occupied, she was back in her element. Observing the quick change in mood, the contractor was struck, not for the first time, by her dedication to her job.

"Clara. Oxford University connection maybe. I'll see if we have anything on our records. If not, Interpol might have something."

"They reminisced about their past over a few drinks... mentioned a number of mutual friends... Fred, John, David and Anna. He drank whiskey and she, a daiquiri."

"Fred, John, David... Anna. OK. "

"I don't what it was... but that woman, Clara... I suspect that she is a Contractor."

"Why is that..."

"The way she talked... Blair made a few jokes, told a few stories and there was no reaction from her."

"Maybe the jokes weren't that funny."

"Possibly... but there was no reaction at all... she had a stony expression on her face the whole time."

"Could this Clara have killed him?"

"I did not notice her giving off any lancelnopt synchroton radiation."

"Can you give me a description of her?"

"I can do one better. Here's a quick sketch that I did." Hei dug into his left-hand pocket and took out crumpled piece of paper.

Misaki cast a critical eye over the drawing and nodded approvingly. "Not bad... I'll run it through our scanners. How did you get it? Didn't think you got that close."

"Window cleaning."

"After 10:30pm ?"

Hei shrugged his shoulders. "Blair didn't seem to notice, neither did the lady... It was a convenient ruse and the view was almost perfect."

"Why do you think Blair was meeting her at the hotel so late in the evening? He was supposed to be addressing a conference first thing in the morning. One would think he would've been busy preparing for that."

"An urgent matter that came up at the last minute..."

Misaki was deep in thought, her detective juices kicking into gear. "Blair was an environmental activist, who had positioned himself as an advocate for the rights of Contractors... I'm sure he was well aware that he was being watched. So why was he skulking about late in the evening to meet with an old friend/lover?"

Hei raised his left eyebrow in something akin to disbelief. _Was that a serious question? _

But Misaki did not appear to notice the questioning look and continued rambling on. She was now completely focused on the case. "Did they talk about anything else? Did he hand something over to her? Did she hand something over to him?"

Hei thought for a second before saying, "Not that I could see."

"Don't you remember hearing one of them asking the other for something in the corridor?"

"I was otherwise preoccupied... if you recall..."

Misaki remembered and immediately a deep crimson shade spread over her features. Blast! Just as she managed to expunge all thoughts of that kiss out of her mind... _He_ had to bring it up...

Another thought occurred to her. _Was he really that focused on the kiss? Wasn't it just a cover?_

Misaki's heart skipped two beats. _Maybe... No... this is absurd... I'm being absurd. Contractors don't act on feelings. He was being hardheaded. _

Hei observed the change in Misaki's complexion and was reminded that this was no cynical female cop. Despite dealing with the worst of the criminal elements, there was a plucky innocence about her that was untouched by harsh realities that she encountered daily. When taking on the persona of Li Shengshun— the exchange student from China – he had warmed to her many endearing qualities and was surprised at how easily they had connected.

Clearly she took everything to heart.

_Everything._

Hei understood the need to tread lightly... any little complication could jeopardize their already tenuous working relationship. The kiss at the hotel had been a means to an end. Flirtation for flirtation sake was not in his nature. But as a result of the back and forth with her, he had become possessed by a curious desire to kiss her again... even if all it did was re-ignite those lacklustre eyes.

In desperation he compelled himself to direct his attention elsewhere. Elsewhere meant the peeling wallpaper, the tatty furniture, the torn up carpet or even the makeshift kitchen made up of an old-fashioned clay stove and dented steel pots. It was one of his safe houses... located out of sight in an abandoned housing area. But even he was not safe from the guileless charms of a plucky cop.

_She hates the thought of having to work with me. I can see it in her eyes. To her I am nothing more than a monster in a man's skin._

Luckily for him, he was saved by Misaki's cell phone from having to dwell on such things any further.

Like a well-trained performing animal, her hands dove into her jacket pocket and pulled out the said phone to answer the call. Instinctively, she turned and moved to face the wall on the far end for privacy.

From the little that he could glean from Misaki's responses and questions, some one from the office had rung in about Lucien Blair... no doubt it was about the initial autopsy. He could see that Misaki was deep in conversation and expected her to fill him in on the details later.

Meanwhile, there were hunger pangs to appease. And BK-201 was monstrously hungry. In his repertoire of skills, it was fortunate that cooking was one of them. In a different time and place, he could have been a _sous_ chef in a high end restaurant but alas he had opted for a more perilous life.

In less time than it took Misaki to finish with her call, the combination of chopped garlic, onions, cabbage, meat and oil produced an appetizing aroma that enveloped the room. As was his custom he had made enough dinner for two inhumanly large appetites and an army of contractors.

* * *

Two unexpected bedfellows were breaking bread in relative silence. Quietly... except for the noise of rats scurrying across the ceiling and behind the walls... they ate in companionable silence. No confrontations, emotional outbursts, or unspoken thoughts just two people taking refuge in the ritual and pleasure of eating.

After her fourth bowl of rice, Misaki put aside her chopsticks, and gave a satisfied sigh. The contractor, on the other hand, seemed insatiable. She would wait... and find the opportune moment to break the ice.

"I never got around to asking you last time. How did you come upon Lucien Blair? Why were you tailing him?"

"In my time with the Syndicate, his name came up on several occasions."

"In relation to what..."

"Blair was not the green ideologue that the public thought he was. It was not clear if he really was campaigning for contractor rights or if he had a hidden agenda. However, it was becoming known in various circles that he was amassing information about various intelligence agencies and their deployment of contractors. The rumour was that he was looking for someone. A contractor, it is said. Perhaps he dug too deeply. He might even have ruffled a few feathers. I expect the Syndicate had something to do with why his body is in the police morgue right now. I heard through some old contacts that he was in town and thought it prudent to pay him a visit when you showed up."

"I still don't understand what he was doing at the Holiday Inn. What was so important that he had to be there reminiscing about old times?"

"Did your medical examiner find anything of interest?"

"Blair died of a heart attack. There is nothing at this stage to suggest foul play."

"But you have your suspicions."

"I am always suspicious. It's the nature of my job." Misaki fell silent for several minutes. "The problem now of course, is that MI6 will want to take over the investigation. Blast! I hate politics!"

* * *

"Misaki... are things satisfactory between us?"

"Huh..." The lady in question was absent-mindedly nibbling on a piece of meat.

"Can you and I work together? Are my methods... offensive to your sensibilities..." His penetrating deep blue eyes looked steadily into hers.

_I wish he wouldn't look at me like this..._

"It isn't you... really." She took a deep breath before saying, " I went into this with my eyes wide open. I mean to see it through. Although you might not think so, I'm tougher than I look."

"Of that I have no doubt. But isn't it the perogative of a woman to change her mind?"

"Well, this woman isn't going to change her mind..."

_Not today anyway._

"As long as you're alright..."

"I'm alright... Honestly, I can't say that I'm entirely happy about the situation. But we both want the same thing, right?"

"Do we...?"

"To destroy the Syndicate root and branch..."

There was that passion again... and a fearless quality to it. There was something irresistible about that... and even the world's most wanted Contractor could not be insensible to its attractions. The fire had returned. Privately, he was pleased to see it.

"Whatever it takes?"

"Whatever it takes."

* * *

_Could this Li that surfaced during the probe be in reference to BK-201?_

It is possible... BK-201's cover in Shinjuku was that of an exchange student from China, Li Shenshuang. They met on several non-work related occasions. And she was part of the team responsible for tracking BK-201 movements.

_Was she? That's interesting..._

What are you thinking?

_I have a strong suspicion that she has achieved something that all the agencies have not been able to do these past 6 months. She's found him and is in regular contact with him._

But wouldn't she have reported it to her superiors?

_Not necessarily._

Why not?

_A woman like Kirihara is not as hard to understand as one might think. She's single, a workaholic and driven by immutable principles. She was devastated by the Nishijima incident and exposed her own superior officer as the mole. BK-201 saved her life, didn't he?_

That's what it says in the report... but...

_He's an attractive fellow... and some women like the mysterious type._

A form of Stockholm Syndrome...?

_Perhaps..._

* * *

When Misaki had finally taken her leave, Hei tucked himself into a comfortable corner of the room, reclining on a futon. Reaching inside his jacket pocket, he pulled out a crinkly manilla envelope. Inside was a folded up photo of a woman sipping a cocktail beside a pool. Below it were the words:. "Anna Westford" followed by the previous Monday's date and an address in Okinawa.

_Attractive woman... but sad eyes.  
_

He glanced at it for a third time and thrust it back into his pocket.

Such thoughts evoked images of another pair of attractive eyes. Fiery and alive one moment and lacklustre the next. He had intended to tell her about the photo that he found among Blair's effects but thought better of it.

_I'm sorry Misaki...You are one of the bravest women I know... but something tells me that it would be better for you if you sat this one out.  
_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:**

_I have made a belated and sudden return to fanfiction. My profound thanks to all those who read and reviewed the past 2 years. You are all stars. It came as something of a shock when I realised that I had not updated for over 2 years. Where did all that time go to? Oh yeah... raising children.  
_

_Last week I felt compelled to continue with this story after viewing the unsatisfying mix of good, bad and indifferent that was S2. While it wasn't an unmitigated disaster, it didn't enthuse me the way S1 did.  
_

_As a long-time scifi/crime fiction fan, it seems to me a great pity that the DTB universe did not live up to its potential. Furthermore, I didn't find very many of the new characters terribly interesting (especially Suou). The entire arc felt fillery and I was sorry to see many of the old gang relegated to supporting roles and nonentities. Also frustrating was the lack of interaction between Hei and Misaki, romantic or otherwise, which amounted to about 3 minutes (?) of screentime. Hence, my return to the fanfic fold._

_I regret to inform my readers that this is not a "kissing book". I am a huge fan of UST and I love building it up. So it's quite likely you'll not see too much kissing before the end is nigh. However, this is not to say that I haven't enjoyed the growing collection of fun and funny "kissing stories" in this fandom. I suppose it's somewhat self-indulgent of me to want to explore the nature of this relationship further before taking it to the next level.  
_

_Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reviews..._


	7. When Am I Not Careful?

**A Whiter Shade of Grey  
**

**Part 7: When Am I Not Careful?**

The Okinawa Beachside resort was literally crawling with agents from every nook and cranny in the civilized world and every intelligence acronym devised by man. It was a hodge podge, an alphabet soup of undercover cops, spies, operatives, contractors all descending in one place, turning the refuge of holiday makers into a ticking time bomb. It could scarcely be a coincidence. No doubt they were all after the same thing, a private interview with the mysterious Anna Westford, the woman allegedly tied to Lucien Blair's untimely death.

From his prime vantage point at the outdoors bar about a hundred meters away from the centre of attention, BK-201 was watching it all unfold with indifferent professional interest. If he gave any thought at all to showing his emotions, he would have chuckled with amusement at the antics of his rival agents, gathering around the target like a herd of clumsy elephants. Whether the situation turned explosive depended on how one took advantage of the opportunities.

Anna Westford, on the other hand, appeared happily oblivious to the spies' picnic gathering around her. Dressed in a black and white striped bikini, she was sitting by the pool sipping cocktails and engrossed in what appeared to be a fashion magazine. From observing her, Hei determined that her habits were simple and regular: 8 o'clock breakfast, followed by 2 hours at the pool swimming or reading, lunch and then the afternoon at the beach. Everything she did, she did alone – a fact that piqued his interest. Experience told him that she was waiting for someone but it was odd that an attractive woman like would be alone in a place like this. It was then his thoughts flew immediately to Misaki.

To get Westford alone for some in-depth interrogation was proving impossible with all eyes on her. The only consolation to be had from this situation was that no one else could get to her either without being seen by everyone else.

For some minutes now, however, Westford was not the object of his attention. A pale, bespectacled Japanese woman was occupying the deck chair next to Westford's. Her long black hair was up in a top knot. Out of her usual garb of pant suits, he almost didn't recognize her. While she looked distinctly uncomfortable in her swimmers, not being accustomed to revealing so much skin, her slim figure and bare legs was drawing unwanted attention from passers-by. Not used to being admired for her physical assets, Misaki was looking more vulnerable than usual.

Hei had been hoping against hope that Misaki would sit this one out. He had deliberately kept vital information from her but knew from the start that it would only slow her down rather than deter her completely. Of greater concern to him was whether he could protect her if matters got out of hand fast.

Knowing her as he did, her pride would never allow her to ask for help. She would've been offended if he had openly followed her. Technically, he wasn't obliged to act as her bodyguard but as they were in some kind of partnership, he felt compelled to watch her back.

Like it or not, someone had to keep an eye on Misaki... she was taking plenty of risks working with him.

* * *

Going undercover went against the grain for Misaki. She bemoaned the fact that her life as a law enforcement officer was becoming increasingly complicated. All this boldface deception was wearing her down. Having to mislead others in order to do one's job was not really what she had signed up for. Moreover, having to display her feminine assets in such a matter only compounded her discomfort further.

Under stress and under observation, Misaki switched to auto pilot as she reached for the large bowl of chips she had brought along with her. Gloomily she stared into the pool, wondering how she was to make contact with the target and mowed down the chips absentmindedly. Her presence didn't go unnoticed, however.

"A whole bowl of chips? Wow... aren't you afraid to put on weight?"

It was Anna Westford, who was looking surprised and faintly amused at Kirihara's no holds barred approach to snacking.

Misaki was relieved that she did not have to break the ice. Socializing was not her cup of tea. Anna Westford gave her the opening she needed.

"Not really... I eat a lot of oily foods and I never put on weight."

"Lucky you."

Misaki scrambled to keep the conversation going. "I have a high pressure job... it helps to keep... er... the weight... er under... control." _I sound ridiculous. After waiting for an opportunity like this... I'm stammering like a fool_.

"What do you do?" Anna Westford seemed friendly and eager to talk.

"I'm a government worker..." _Well, it's not untrue._

"A public servant?"

"Yes... nothing special really. Writing reports and doing what I'm told." Misaki giggled nervously. _It's close enough to the truth._

"So what brings you here?"

"I'm having a holiday. My first one in five years." _Also not untrue._

"Alone?"

Misaki nodded. At least she didn't have to prevaricate about this one. Inwardly she lamented... _At the end of the day_ _I'm always alone_.

Anna smiled sympathetically. "I'm alone too. Although I'm waiting for someone..."

"Waiting...?" _For whom? Lucien Blair? Doesn't she know he's dead?_

"Yeah, it's as if we've spent our whole lives waiting for each other..." Westford commented wistfully.

"I'm sorry," Misaki said suddenly, genuinely sorry for this woman who was right in the middle of something that she probably had no idea about.

"Huh..."

"You sound so sad."

"Do I? I have some regrets I suppose but nothing I can't live with."

"I'm a little envious..." Misaki ventured. "At least you have someone waiting."

"Don't you?" Westford looked surprised.

Misaki shook her head regretfully. "I'm afraid I'm married to my job."

"Sometimes I think being married to a job is better than being married to a man."

"I don't think you would say that if you had to return to an empty apartment every night."

Westford thought for a minute before saying, "I was married once... to a very special man... but something happened..."

"To him?"

"No... to me..." Westford's demeanour changed momentarily. For an instant, her expression turned emotionless but just as quickly it returned to the friendly, engaging manner at the start of the conversation. "I really shouldn't go on and on about it. The past is past..."

"At least you had one, right?"

* * *

BK-201 observed with some satisfaction that the two women were giggling like schoolgirls and from all appearances, getting along like a house on fire. Whatever Kirihara was doing, it was working.

_Not bad, Misaki... not bad at all. _

Her innate vulnerability was working for her. The police officer mask was off and all her natural allure was shining through. Kirihara Misaki was really a beautiful woman who was desperately trying to suppress her natural assets. The glasses, the clothes and the hair were all part of the masquerade. It was inevitable that a woman who had so much to prove would have to deny her best qualities to get ahead in what was largely a man's world. With another woman, she could be herself. There was nothing to prove and so there was little need to suppress her feminine qualities.

"Yin..." The contractor lightly touched the miniature earpiece he was wearing.

"Yes, Hei?" The Doll answered in her usual bland fashion, sitting by her bedroom window.

"Keep an eye on Kirihara and that Westford woman. Keep me posted on how they get on. I'm going to have a closer look at Anna Westford's room."

* * *

Misaki returned to her room and immediately collapsed into the neatly made bed with some degree of jubilation. She had done a good day's work. Hence, she had reason to be satisfied with the progress she had made. Anna Westford had invited her to have dinner with her which was something of a major coup. Still, it wasn't the occasion to rest on her laurels just yet.

Her superiors were constantly breathing down her neck on about her lack of success in apprehending BK-201 and her father was still trying to convince her to pay a visit to the police counsellor. Nobody wanted her to take a trip to Okinawa so, in defiance she took some time off.

And then there was _that_ contractor. What to do with him? She had half expected him to show up already as he was in the habit of doing so. He had always managed to stay one step ahead of her so it was quite likely he was somewhere in the restort. That he was nowhere to be seen or more likely avoiding her was a little... disappointing.

At the end of the day, their partnership was a tenuous one. Their relationship was forged by necessity and there was no obligation, spoken or unspoken, to take the partnership to the nth degree.

Moreover, Misaki was feeling drowsy after an especially sumptuous lunch. The buffet at the resort was almost worth all the embarrassment she had to go through. She yawned and closed her eyes. BK-201 could go jump off the nearest cliff and electrocute himself for all she cared. At that moment she had no thought for him. A nap was just the thing to take the edge of the fatigue she had been feeling and after achieving a small degree of success, she felt sure that she had earned it.

* * *

Hei swung in through the balcony window and saw at once that the inspector was sound asleep in bed. His first instinct was to rouse her but noting her log-like posture, so completely dead to the world, he could see that she was enjoying some much needed rest. So he pulled up a chair and waited. Whatever he wanted to say to her could wait.

That vision of Misaki lying in bed without the trappings of her job held a certain fascination for him. She was every bit the tourist, looking so peaceful... without a care in the world. It was so unlike what he had become accustomed to seeing: Kirihara Misaki was prone to carrying weight of the world on her shoulders. That elusive vulnerability that he glimpsed at earlier had not lost its attraction. Here she was... not a police officer, not tasked to keep secrets or to catch felons... she was just a woman in a hotel room asleep, oblivious to the dangers that were lurking outside those walls.

A shuffling sound coming from the room entrance broke through his stupor. Then the muffled noise of the door creaking. Someone was attempting to sneak in.

_How the heck..._

There was no time to lose. Hei leapt off the chair and took to the balcony in a flash. He disappeared behind a pillar in a stooped position and peered from the side in the hope of identifying the interloper.

As the door opened, a slight figure, dressed in a hooded robe much too big for the wearer, took soft steps inside the room. For Hei, there was something instinctively familiar about that individual which caused him to wonder then where they had crossed paths previously.

The hooded figure surveyed the room and evidently decided that it was safe to proceed further. At that point Hei was of two minds, wondering if a preventative measure was required or whether he should act only if Misaki's life was in imminent danger. He decided on the latter as he thought it worth some risk to unmask and determine the objectives of the mysterious visitor.

The stranger did not go straight to the sleeping Kirihara but searched the room first. The wardrobe, suitcases were the first targets followed by the bedside drawers. When there didn't appear to be anything of interest, the hooded visitor rummaged the handbag that was lying innocuously on the dresser. Apparently there was nothing of interest there either.

_What is he looking for?_

_Perhaps someone is not convinced by Kirihara's cover story..._

The intruder strode stealthily towards the bed, raised his hand and then for some reason stopped in mid-air.

_Why is he hesitating? Second thoughts? Why Kirihara?_

Through force of habit Hei readied himself for action and was prepared to release a moderate charge of electricity should it be required.

As those brief moments were ticking away, Misaki stirred and rolled over onto her right side. The intruder froze momentarily seemingly trying to decide what to do next. Hei thought it was time to intervene. He had waited long enough and it was evident that the stranger had sinister designs of some sort. While he was not ready to reveal himself, Misaki's safety was paramount. A scratching noise from the balcony stirred the intruder into action and saw him bolt out the door in a hurry. It was all quite odd.

_Who the hell was that? What was he looking for?_

Hei looked over Misaki's slender figure and noted to his satisfaction that she had been unharmed.

_At least she's safe._

* * *

"Kirihara... it's time to wake up..."

The inspector sat up immediately dazed. "Huh... oh... it's you... what are you doing here?"

"Are you really surprised?"

" Huh... Nope... not really..." Misaki stretched herself and yawned. "But speaking of the obvious... what are you doing here? Can't be because you miss me."

"I have information that may interest you..." Hei said quickly ignoring the jibe. "And you had a visitor..."

"And you don't mean you..."

"No." Hei stared at her with more intensity than usual. He was taken aback by how Misaki was being rather cavalier about the whole thing.

"I suppose you'll get round to telling me about it sometime today." Despite the mask of indifference, Misaki was not as flippant as she pretended to be. Her fists had instinctively tightened under the sheets. It took all the willpower that she could muster not to show her true feelings.

"I couldn't identify the hooded figure but I was certain that we had encountered one another previously."

"I see... Did he... or she try to kill me?"

"It was hard to say. Perhaps." The contractor muttered thoughtfully. "But something caused him to change his mind."

"And you don't mean you..."

"No, it wasn't me."

"Well, I'm alive to fight another day."

"You don't seem particularly perturbed by the incident." Hei studied her mystified.

"Perturbed? Why should I be... when I have you to protect me..." Misaki flashed a grin to prove her point. "Anyway, I'm on holidays. Nobody will be inconsiderate enough to kill me while I'm on holidays. Now will you excuse me, while I get changed for dinner." She rambled on and then proceeded to stroll cheerily towards the bathroom, casually slipping off her evening dress from the coat hanger.

BK-201 knew from experience that women could be unpredictable but in Kirihara's case it was as if he had been talking to another woman altogether. She was taking all this far too lightly. Moreover she seemed distant... like she was a million miles away.

Misaki closed the door quietly behind her and slid onto the floor, shaking like a leaf. She hoped that the devil-may-care facade had worked. There was no way between heaven and hell she was going to crumble in front of him.

_So I'm the damsel in distress now._ Her entire person revolted at thought. _This is ridiculous. Has it come to this?_

_I'm turning into a pathetic excuse for a cop... I can't seem to do my job without him backing me up. If he hadn't been around..._

_I would have died._

Misaki allowed that thought to sink in. Some days she wondered if death wasn't preferable to the double life she was leading. It wasn't as if she was averse to putting herself on the line. She'd been doing it even before that contractor came on the scene. So why was this any different?

Kirihara had always been capable of looking after herself. She was prepared to face the enemy head on. Going down all guns blazing... that was more her style. But these silent stabs in the dark, cloak and dagger stuff was not something she had trained for or was prepared to do.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sank her head between her legs. It wasn't worth the effort trying to hold them back.

_You're an idiot, Misaki. You let yourself get close to a contractor and now you're an emotional basket case._

It was pointless pretending any further that she didn't have feelings for BK-201. It wasn't as if either of them had planned the whole thing but their relationship was complicated and quite likely, in her mind, one sided. There was no reason to suppose a contractor could have normal relationships with anyone. Misaki was not that much of an emotional wreck not to know that. Of all the men in the world she could have fallen for, it had to be Public Enemy #1.

Misaki spent much of her adult life living in a man's world, working with men of different stripes. Thus far she had managed to avoid falling in love with any. Or more likely, most men avoided falling in love with her. She knew what the office gossip was and shrugged it off. Any men who may have harboured any intentions towards would always end of thinking that she was too aggressive, too bossy and too busy. She was a police officer in every fibre of her being and knew everything there was to know about contractors.

But when it came to love... Misaki was out of her depth. Then she sobbed quietly and bitterly on the cold tiled floor. She never felt lonelier in her life.

* * *

Hei, although adept at concealing his true feelings, was relieved when Kirihara finally emerged from the bathroom. The room felt eerily quiet and despite his nonchalant demeanour he had been quite prepared to smash down the bathroom door after about 20 minutes of pacing the room.

_What was she doing in there?_

At first she looked aloof and stunning in a simple red sleeveless dress that showed off all her curves. As she was glancing nervously and straightening the dress at 1 minute intervals, it was clear that she wasn't accustomed to such attire.

"Going to a party?" He asked with characteristic nonchalance.

"Me? No. Just a dinner date."

Oh. "Who's the lucky man?"

"Man? Oh no, no, no..." Misaki giggled nervously. "It's not what you think... I should be so lucky."

_Lucky?_ Hei did not say a word in response which gave the vague impression that he disapproved of the entire idea.

Misaki felt his disapproval and felt that an explanation was in order. "It's Anna Westford... I'm having dinner with Anna Westford. I was invited and I thought it would be a good opportunity to... you know... find out more."

"I see." The contractor's face was emotionless but his eyes were intently searching hers.

_I hate it when he does that._ "I... erm... ah... should go... now."

"I won't keep you."

Misaki picked up her keycard and slipped it into her purse. Only just managing to find some balance on the new pair of high heels she was wearing, she wobbled unsteadily towards the exit.

"Misaki..."

"Huh..."

"Is everything alright?"

MIsaki turned to look at him and dutifully produced a smile. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Be careful, won't you?"

She flashed him her most brilliant smile and said, "When am I not careful?"

And then catching a glimpse of that rare look of concern on his face, she waved it off saying, "It's only dinner."

* * *

Author's Notes:

_In time honoured fanfiction tradition, dare I say it... I'm back! For how long, that remains to be seen._

_I have always intended to finish this and was going to update this late last year when I was incapacitated by medical issues. Early this year, I started a new job and so all my energy was focused on learning the ropes, as it were._

_Life is busy but I felt duty bound to those who have supported this story with lovely reviews to keep this going. Thanks for reading and reviewing. It does warm the cockles of this writer's heart._


	8. I Have No Information on That

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 8: I Have No Information on That**

A groggy Misaki peeled open her eyes by sheer force of will and was greeted at once by a wall of darkness. Unsure if she had suddenly lost her ability to see, she blinked and squinted in turn for several minutes. Without her spectacles, she was handicapped. Like a lost blind woman groping for clues to her whereabouts, her surroundings were of little help save for the intermittent sound of water dripping nearby. This place, wherever she was taken, was cold and draughty. The red flattering dress she had fussed over earlier afforded her little protection against the chill that was caressing her bare skin. Movement was also impossible. All attempts by Misaki to wriggle free were to no avail. Her captors, Misaki acknowledged, had done a thorough job of keeping her bound to the chair. At least, she told herself good humouredly that they were considerate enough to offer her a chair.

After what felt like an hour, she heard the sound of footsteps shuffling toward her followed by a raspy-sounding cough.

"What do you want me to do, boss..." A booming yet subservient voice pierced the wretched silence.

The boss, as it turned out, had the voice of a woman which would, in a saner world, lead to the conclusion that she was a woman. But in a world that was overrun with contractors and miscellaneous scientific advancements, it was hard to be sure.

"It depends on how co-operative Inspector Kirihara turns out to be." The boss' voice had a self-satisfied but passionless lilt.

_So my cover's blown._ Kirihara came to this conclusion quickly despite her other disadvantages. _Good. I hated all this pretence anyway._

Kirihara had been wondering, since regaining consciousness, how she managed to end up in this position. One minute she was in the lift with two broad-shouldered men in Armani suits and the next thing she knew she was someone's prisoner in goodness knows where. However Misaki wasn't about to waste an opportunity for a little information exchange, knowing intuitively that she was about to be interrogated anyway. She decidedly quickly that attaining the upper hand from the start would be in her best interest.

"So you know who I am," Misaki said coolly. "I'm afraid I don't have the same privilege."

"Who I am is not of importance." Misaki was relieved that a response was forthcoming. Her interrogator was evidently eager to talk. "I am impressed though. You don't seem afraid."

"Should I be?" The adrenalin coursing through her gave her a boost of confidence. It was in such situations that Misaki thrived.

"It depends..."

"On my co-operation? Yes, I've heard that before."

There was a brief period of silence. Perhaps both parties were sizing one another up or waiting for the other to initiate the "information exchange".

"You fascinate me, inspector."

"You'd be the first."

"You really do live up to your reputation, Kirihara Misaki. Fearless, passionate and dogged. Faced with a potentially live threatening situation and you're completely calm. You just love the danger, don't you?"

"You don't seem very dangerous."

Her interrogator gave a shout of laughter. "Looks can be deceiving."

"I wouldn't know. I can't see you."

"All in good time, Kirihara Misaki. Could it be that your confidence comes from a misguided faith that your partner will come to your rescue?"

"Partner?" Misaki feigned ignorance. _Wonder how much she really knows? She's probably just fishing._

"The phantom, the mysterious male that always seems to be in the right time and right place. It seems that even female police officers have their own fairytale cliché."

Misaki snorted. "If you mean the tall skinny boy with the black hair, I'm sorry to disappoint you but there's no great mystery there. He's just an errand boy, an informant. There's no fairytale cliché to worry about unless of course you think you're the witch."

Kirihara's interrogator seemed not to have heard the implied insult. "An errand boy, eh? Rumour is that he is a contractor."

"Well, your intelligence network has let you down. He's no one special."

"You're lying... "

"It's the truth and if you don't believe me, well, there's nothing I can do about it." Misaki responded defiantly.

"I don't believe you... and I have ways and means of getting to the truth."

* * *

Meanwhile the tall skinny boy with the black hair and moustache was working his shift tending bar, growing concerned by the minute. Kirihara had failed to show up at her appointment with Anna Westford, who was sitting at the restaurant bar sipping gin and tonic with a decided air of boredom. Kirihara should have arrived at the restaurant forty five minutes earlier. _Did she make a detour somewhere? It would be unlike her._

"Drinking alone, miss?" He asked in friendly fashion as he was making a cocktail for a raucous business man, two bar stools to her right.

"Apparently. I was supposed to meet someone here but she hasn't shown up."

"A patron of the hotel?"

"Yes... as far as I know."

"Would like me to ring her room?"

"Yeah, sure... that would be great. It's Room 201 from what I can remember. Her last name is Sukiyaki, or Suzuki or something like that."

Hei went over to the telephone and dialled the number. _Pick up, Misaki... pick up..._

No one answered. He tried again 2 more times and gave up.

"No one is picking up, miss." He put on his most amiable voice. "I'll try again in ten minutes, just in case."

"Strange." Westford remarked. "I hope nothing's happened to her."

_Me too._ Hei thought to himself, with an odd sensation of dread growing in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"What's your interest in Anna Westford?"

_Ah, so that's what this is about._ "What's yours?"

"Don't get smart on me. Answer my question."

"As a police officer, it is my job to ask question."

"I'll give you token brownie points for sheer audacity. But you're hardly in a situation to flout your authority around here."

"In that case I don't feel obliged to answer your questions either."

"Well, a few rounds with Bruno here might change your mind."

_Bruno._ "Ah... I see... you have an errand boy to do your dirty work too."

"It's best you don't get him angry, Inspector Kirihara, Bruno is not exactly governed by reason. He's operates on pure instinct and is known to be remorseless where violence is concerned."

"An errand boy who is a bully. Makes a lot of sense." _Keep pushing, Misaki... just keep pushing... She might tell you something important._

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really are courting death." Her interrogator sounded amused.

"I hunt down contractors for a living... if I was afraid of death, I wouldn't be doing this job."

"You know," the voice in the dark said regretfully, "You really are something special. Pity your father doesn't see it."

"My father? Don't spoil the mood of this conversation by bringing him into it."

* * *

"Yin, Kirihara seems to have gone missing."

"No. Not missing. She's been taken."

"Where?"

"To the basement."

"Here? In this resort?" Hei stopped in his tracks.

"Yes, three floors down from you. You will need a special access key."

"I don't think that'll be a problem."

"She's being interrogated."

"By whom?"

"I have no information on that."

* * *

Misaki winced, as the pain from the fourth blow to her face reverberated all over her body. Her lip was bleeding profusely and there would be bruises as well as broken bones to show for it if she lived to tell the tale. Bruno, the errand boy bully, packed quite a punch. As this was her first experience of torture, it was hard to say how long she would be able to hold out against the pain but resigned herself to the fact that death would be imminent one way or another. Everyone breaks... eventually.

She had the urge to fight back more than once and in a real enough way, her immobility was a far worse torture: it made her feel helpless... and desperate. All her skills, her training and her desire to rid the world of evil could not save her now. Even the dim, glowing candlelight flickering some distance away did little to aid her in identifying her captors.

In moments of occasional lucidity, she thought about all the things she had achieved in her life. Then she thought about her choices, her regrets and then she thought about _him_: BK-201, contractor extraordinaire, whom she had known fleetingly as Li Shenshuang, a foreign student from China. She had liked Li... a lot. He was the only man she allowed herself to get close to, only to find out in the end that he was a contractor working for the Syndicate.

Misaki was flagging in her resolve and it wasn't just from the enemy's enhanced interrogation techniques. She was tired of shrugging off the loneliness which haunted her whenever she unlocked the door to her apartment or saw the happy faces of those who enjoyed the normality of true companionship. All these months chasing shadows with the most elusive shadow of them all brought to bear the illusory nature of her job... and her life. What she told Anna Westford was true – a job, no matter how noble the profession, could never make up for living in a solitary apartment. Solitary, it turned out, didn't suit her. As her bond to BK-201 grew stronger, her desire for intimacy at close quarters became overwhelming. To a degree it was disappointing that, in the end she was just like all the other girls she had known, that her job could never replace her need for a relationship with a man.

The irony of it all was that she would never know everyday normality. The man she had fallen for was a spectre, a fugitive and a killing machine. There was nothing normal about him. He would never be around long enough to give her the stability she sometimes craved in her chaotic life. She chastised herself for being a silly girl, setting her heart on the impossible.

"So are you ready to talk?" Her interrogator was anxious to get down to business.

"I'm always ready to talk."

"Good. You've come to your senses."

"I never lost them."

_Ever defiant._ "Anna Westford... why the interest in her..."

"Why not? Everybody else is. MI6, CIA, FBI, NSA, ICE, FSB..."

"But you made contact..."

"Only because she spoke to me first. Can't expect me to be rude."

"But you were going to have dinner with her this evening."

"Something wrong with that? Why ask me anything if you already know the answer?"

"Bruno... the inspector is being... recalcitrant..."

"Re... what.. boss?"

"Stubborn, Bruno..."

The last thing Misaki remembered seeing before blacking out was Bruno's oversized fist flying across her face.

* * *

Out of nowhere the shadowy figure of the Black Grim Reaper sliced through the darkness as he skated past the villains to reach Misaki. Without missing a beat, he felt for a pulse and gently stroked her bloodstained cheeks.

_She's alive. I got here on time._

Masked and ready to do violence, the Black Grim Reaper moved casually in the direction of the assailants. He spoke in a tone which hid the full measure of his rage.

"If that woman dies... you can give up any idea of getting out of here alive."

At that moment, the electric lights came on as timed. Kirihara's interrogators, now in clear view, were temporarily stunned by the sudden exposure. The female who had been giving orders to the great hulking creature that she called Bruno, was concealed under a large cloak. Her face could not yet be seen. Without hesitation, turned to face her opponent.

"So the fairytale cliché has arrived. BK-201, is it? So you're the inspector's errand boy." The mysterious female figure spoke almost cheerfully. "It's good to finally see you face to face. Your reputation precedes you."

"And you're the woman from Lucien Blair's hotel room." Hei said, with a dangerously quiet cadence. "_You_ were in Misaki's room this afternoon."

"Not a lot gets past you, I'll say that about you." The woman looked at him. "Misaki, eh? On first name terms. What is your relationship with the inspector?"

Hei was surprised at how easily he had given himself away. "We... are partners."

"How convenient. A working relationship with fringe benefits, I imagine." The woman sneered. "The Syndicate would be interested to hear that their rogue agent has taken up with a cop.

Hei frowned at the remark but stayed focused. "Did you kill Lucien Blair?"

"Oh that. It was an accident. I got carried away. Lucien was a harmless fool. Don't know what Anna saw in him."

"Anna? Anna Westford?"

"Yeah... can you imagine? They were both married in Cambridge. Big secret... hush, hush..."

"Married?"

"No one knew about it, not even their parents... except some parson in the village." The woman huffed

Hei made no attempt to stop the woman from talking. "You didn't approve."

"Oh, I wasn't in any position to do anything at the time, otherwise I would have put a stop to it. Their excuse, I would imagine was that they were young and stupidly in love." The woman sounded exasperated. "The ridiculous things people do for love."

"You don't think much of sentiment."

"Sentiments are for weaklings. It softens the mind and causes even the best ones to lose judgement. No, I don't operate along those lines."

"It makes it easier for you to kill." Hei observed.

"I do my job. The Syndicate has nothing to complain about."

"You say you work for the Syndicate. Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The woman sounded smug.

"You could tell me, or I could do it the hard way."

The back and forth between them did not last long. This woman obviously had a strong need to have her ego stroked. She lifted her hood from over her face and let it fall back.

Hei was not easily surprised. He didn't think there was much to be surprised about and yet he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

It was Anna Westford. But it couldn't be. And yet it was. Or someone that resembled her

A twin perhaps. Or a clone.

"You... look like her." Hei finally broke the silence.

"I am her." The Anna Westford look-a-like insisted.

"That's not possible. I saw her upstairs."

"True, you did. But there are many things you don't know."

"No doubt," Hei commented wryly. "You will enlighten me."

"I am Anna Westford or at least one of the many personalities that live inside of her." The woman was grinning mischievously. "She had/has... what some of your scientists call a dissociative disorder."

"Split personalities? But don't they exist within the host's body..."

"And yet, here am I. Anna is a contractor, courtesy of Hell's Gate, and her talent (or curse, if you like) is that these personalities come and go as they please. I am the personality known as Clara and I make sure no one gets too close to Anna. It's my job to take care of her."

"How many of you are there?"

"3, 4... maybe more... I don't think she knows either."

"And him?"

"Bruno? Nah... he's just your garden variety brute squad. Not too bright but gets the job done."

Clara nodded to Bruno and it seemed to be his cue to strike. He tried to take a swing at Hei, who promptly managed to dodge his blows with the greatest of ease.

"I can see what you mean by not too bright..." Hei did a double back flip and while in mid-air released his grapping hook in the direction of the unsuspecting Bruno who was still frantically punching the space around him. Hei's agility gave him much advantage over the large movements of his brutish opponent. In a matter of seconds, the wire settled around the strong man in a large loop and the Grim Reaper tightened it around the larger man's waist and hands as he closed in. The captured man tried to wriggle free and was promptly rendered unconscious from a moderate electric charge.

Clara raised her arm in Hei's direction and immediately he could feel a force pulling at his heart. Struggling to break free from the invisible pull, he unleashed his counterattack by throwing out his electro-magnetic charge and struck back. The woman recoiled and quickly fell to the ground.

"Hei... I... we need her alive..." A weakened Misaki regained some measure of consciousness and was barely able to speak above the fray. "We need to find... out... Lucien Blair... died..."

Still fired up, Hei bent over Clara and asked, "Why did you kill Lucien Blair..."

Clara was in a daze. "It was an accident. We argued."

"About what..."

"About his plans." Clara was gasping for air, struggling to speak. "That fool, he had these stupid plans... He... wanted to take Anna... away from us... to South America... Project Dystopia... a refuge... for contractors..."

"You killed him."

"He refused to see reason."

"You will pay for your crimes." MIsaki whispered as she lifted her battered face toward her captor. "You are under arrest..."

"No, inspector... not if you're dead..." Clara raised her hand toward Misaki, in a last ditch effort to elude justice.

This time Hei didn't hold back. He released a deadly flow of electrical charge which incapacitated his opponent and drained the life out of her. After checking that she was really dead, he ran over to Misaki and hurriedly released her from her bonds.

She made some attempt to get up from the chair that had been her prison but her body, numb with pain refused to cooperate. She staggered two steps and her limbs gave way. Luckily Hei caught her in time and she allowed herself to fall into his arms.

"You didn't have to kill her." She looked up into his eyes and met them squarely.

"Yes, I did." The contractor countered firmly and with a tone of finality. _She was going to kill you, Misaki..._

"Couldn't you just have zapped her silly?"

"When I zap people silly, as you call it, they tend to die."

Misaki heaved a sigh and pressed her eyelids together. "I shouldn't sound so ungrateful. You saved my life... _again_..."

"That's what partners do..."

"Are we partners?" Although seriously weakened, she lifted her trembling hand to touch his mask. "I thought I was just an assignment."

Hei took off his mask and drew her closer to his face. "Assignments come and go... but you and I..."

MIsaki could feel her heart beating as if it would burst. "What are we, BK-201?"

"We are... "

Mesmerized by the desperate longing in her eyes, and moved by her entreaty, his mask of insouciance crumbled in an instant. Released from self-imposed restraints, his lips fell against hers with a desire he did not know was brewing around the edges . Astonished and yet not unwilling, her mouth was quivering from a mix of fear and palpable eagerness. Both had lost the battle to keep their distance and were finally ready to succumb to the feelings that had held their hearts hostage for some time.

When his lips finally broke away from hers, the contractor saw that Misaki had once more lapsed into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_I'm on a bit of a roll and have to confess to being partly spurred on by the amazing number of reviews I received last week. 9 reviews in 24 hours must be a record for me and DTB isn't exactly a large fandom. Needless to say I was thrilled to bits. Thank you all for the encouragement and the kind words.  
_

_I've been working toward this point for about 5 years, uhming and ahing about timing. (Didn't really expect to take this long, frankly) I've always had the end worked out but the problem was how I was going to get there. This, however, isn't the end and things are probably going to get worse before they get better._


	9. You Don't Seem Surprised

**Part 9: You Don't Seem Surprised**

The past 3 weeks were the longest in Misaki's life.

Hospital was a different sort of torture, only slightly preferable to going several rounds with Bruno, the hulking brute who was formerly lackey to a psychopathic female contractor. Being prodded and poked was par for the course but the boredom from being confined in a tiny room with strangers, who required constant medical attention, was claustrophobic. Then there were the regular phone calls from Tokyo... colleagues, friends... all well-meaning, in their attempts to cheer her up. In the end their futile efforts felt more like backhanded reprimands. Everyone was eager to remind her in a roundabout fashion that things could have been a lot worse and that she had no one to blame but herself as to how matters turned out.

Convalescing was not Misaki's style. To be bedridden for most of those three weeks was a special kind of hell for a woman who had hardly taken a sick day in seven years. Activity, not rest was what she coveted.

Misaki sought temporary refuge from gazing out the window, hypnotized by the rhythm of the rain drops falling on the window ledge. There was therapy in that kind of monotony. It was easy to forget one's troubles when the simple wonders of nature persist in their cycles seemingly unaffected by the chaos that humanity inflicts upon itself. In such a routine there was an underlying reassurance that life would go on... that nature was not the fragile entity that the human race was inclined to believe it to be. There was reason to hope that Nature would outlive the foibles of man. Humans and contractors would destroy themselves and each other long before the planet became a wasteland.

Forbidden to exert herself during the recuperative period, Misaki was forced to engage in a more fruitful thought life. Her memory of what happened in that resort basement was hazy and fragmented. She recalled the interrogation, she remembered only too well Bruno and his imitable style of persuasion. The memory of being in excruciating pain was vivid and then there was that recurring flashback... that in the middle of the madness BK-201 had come to her rescue.

Details, however, were not forthcoming.

Though eager to recover and be back on her feet, she was less enthused about answering the inevitable questions that would come from her superiors. She had acted outside the scope of her responsibilities and perhaps had rashly bitten off more than she could chew. Internal Affairs would be all over it like a rash and while she did aid in the capture of a couple of dangerous criminals, there was also the question of her elusive confederate.

First up she would have to explain the presence of BK-201? How could she? In the eyes of the powers that be, he was the enemy. On the surface, there had been no reason for him to come to her rescue. Yet he had and did on several occasions. No wonder the Syndicate was on to them. To protect his whereabouts and her position with the force, the realistic conclusion was for their partnership to end before further complications ensue.

Had it run its course? That was the question that was heavy on her mind. They couldn't realistically go on like this. And now that their relationship had taken a different turn, it was driving her to distraction, particularly when the most exciting thing on the table these days was the bento box they served for lunch.

It was a distraction that under different circumstances could have been considered welcomed. A light tap on the lips... something resembling a kiss. And yet, that kiss... said it all. More than once during the past three weeks Misaki ran her fingers gently across her lips, straining to remember every tiny detail. It hadn't been much of a moment because she hadn't been able to savour the encounter. Still, they shared a moment of intimacy – a blink of an eye with no ceremony or fanfare. And that look - his eyes... with laser-like intensity burned into her memory. There was something humanly desperate in those eyes – eyes that showed undisguised desire. The unreality of that moment caused her to wonder if all that had just been an absurd dream. But for a single woman who lived with loneliness daily, that look from him would forever hold out a sliver of hope to her parched soul.

That anyone would want her should have been an occasion for rejoicing but a spirit of foreboding had fallen on her. While her feelings toward him remained unchanged, a part of her rued the day BK-201 sauntered into her life.

* * *

"Misaki..."

Misaki snapped out of her reverie and noticed the formidable figure of her father standing a short distance behind her –Superintendant Supervisor Kirihara of the Metropolitan Police. Except that he wasn't looking formidable. Mostly, he was looking pensive, tired and uncertain. It was how Misaki remembered him as a child, when he would stagger into the living room after a particularly bad day at work.

"Father. I didn't hear you come in."

"You were deep in thought... and seemed a million miles away." As he spoke, the Superintendent, too, seemed preoccupied.

"I'm sorry." Misaki said quietly.

"I'm sure you have a lot to think about."

"I suppose."

"How are you feeling?"

"Not bad... all things considered."

"I'm sorry I haven't been to see you very much."The Superintendent seemed lost and awkward, unsure of himself.

"I understand, Father. Don't worry."

"Misaki, we need to talk." The awkwardness was abruptly masked by a more urgent, official tone.

Misaki gave out a sigh. "I thought we were talking..." _Just when I thought we were doing so well. He has to revert to type._

"Don't be so defensive, MIsaki, this is important."

"It always is. You don't talk to me unless it's important."

"This isn't about you and me."

"It never is."

"Somewhere along the way you and I just stopped communicating as a family."

"And it's my fault..."

"No, I'm not saying that." The Superintendent sounded exasperated. "I'm not blaming you for what happened between us. That's a matter for another time. What I wanted to talk to you about..."

Here we go...

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I wish you had informed me about your trip to Okinawa."

"So that... you could have stopped me from going..." Her eyes were dancing balls of fire.

"Misaki, you could have died!" A strangled strain accompanied the words.

The truth of those words broke the thick air of hostility that had been building between father and daughter.

Misaki softened. "I was following a lead."

"Alone? And against my wishes? It was dangerous..."

"It was a chance I had to take." Misaki retorted.

Her father seemed like a man in despair. "Misaki, you don't have to prove anything. Every one knows that you are one of the best officers in the force even if you are my daughter."

Misaki gave her father a dour look. "Do you really think that? Do you really believe I do this job to... prove something?"

"You push yourself too hard... to the point of obsession... "

"I push myself because there are dangerous people out there who are a menace to public safety. I do this job because I want to help people who can't help themselves. And I sleep better everyday knowing that innocent civilians can walk the streets safely because we successfully find the criminals that terrorize them."

"What about your safety? You take too many chances." Superintendent Kirihara protested.

"Isn't that what we do? We take the chances so that the public doesn't have to. That's what we get paid the big bucks to do." The elder Kirihara smiled at that last remark in spite of himself. She was his daughter after all.

"I cannot protect you."

"Nor do I expect you to, Father." Misaki saw the helplessness in her father's eyes. "Your daughter is a grown woman. I make my own choices."

"Even if those choices lead to a place of no return?"

"Yes."

Superintendent Kirihara sank his head in quiet despair. Misaki had always been driven... and independently minded. He understood her better than she knew but attempts to rein her in over the years had come to grief. Although he saw the dangers probably better than she did, he knew there was no persuading her to act against the dictates of her conscience.

"Internal Affairs will want to ask you a few questions."

"I was expecting them to."

"I have told them that I won't interfere."

"I don't expect any special treatment."

"Good, because you won't be getting any." The father responded gruffly.

"So when do they want to see me?" Misaki could sense that the conversation was winding down. She returned her gaze to the window and saw that the earlier downpour had lightened into a drizzle.

"No hurry, when you get back to Tokyo. But the Okinawa police, on the other hand..."

"Have questions for me too, I'm sure."

"They want you to go in, as soon as you can."

"I see. Am I under suspicion?"

"No. Nothing like that. They need your help in their investigation."

"My help?"

"It's Anna Westford... Or at least another woman who calls herself Anna Westford... She won't talk to anyone but you."

* * *

"Thank you for coming in, Inspector Kirihara. It must be an inconvenience."

"Not at all. It's my duty to do so. I want to help where I can. Besides I'm feeling better than I look."

A small group of observers were gathering behind the two-way mirror. Kirihara was sandwiched between a tall man with a bad haircut and an older if slightly overweight detective quaffing coffee like his life depended on it. The tall detective introduced himself as Sergeant Takeshi Matsumoto and the plump officer as Inspector Chiaki. Inspector or not, Matsumoto was supremely eager to have an attractive female cop on board which in Okinawa would be a rarer phenomenon than centenarians. Chiaki was less impressed, believing that that nepotism was more likely to have fast-tracked Kirihara's career.

Chiaki cleared his throat before getting the ball rolling, "We hear that you're something of an expert on these kinds of... er... people, Inspector Kirihara."

Kirihara moved in closer to get a better view of the subject. "Expert? Hardly. These days anyone can be expert if they are more knowledgeable than everyone else."

Showing his appreciation for the acerbic comment, Sergeant Matsumoto grinned appreciatively at his colleague who promptly threw cold water at his partner's merriment with a frown. Chiaki was conventional to a T.

"So how long has she been doing this?"

Anna Westford was pacing up and down in the next room like a nervous cat. Every few minutes she would stop and drop onto the floor with her legs folded up to her chest.

"An hour so far today. A couple of hours most days."

"Is this all she does?"

"Aside from eating, sleeping and the other stuff? Pretty much."

"She seems worried about something. Have you asked her about it?"

"She is being very tight-lipped when questioned but we have been observing her these past few weeks. Her behaviour has been very erratic."

"How so..."

"Her behaviour doesn't seem to be what one expects of a forty-year-old woman. Or certainly what little we have on Anna Westford. Every so often she would giggle and mutter to herself. We've been in contact with Scotland Yard to get as much intel about Westford as we can but there's nothing that stands out. Born in Devonshire, was on scholarship at Cambridge for a couple of years doing Law and then drops out. That's probably where she met Blair. After that, she jumps from job to job but doesn't stick around in any for more than a couple of years. 'Highly intelligent but has difficulty working with others. Trust issues.' according to a number of employers. But that's not illegal anywhere in the world as far as I know."

"So she's clean."

"Not even a parking ticket."

"Have you given her a physical?"

"Checked and double-checked.

"What do you think it is?"

"Frankly, inspector, I have no idea. I have never come across anything like this. Before last year, I never even heard of contractors."

"She's not a twin of the dead woman?"

"Fingerprints are different. Dr Izumi says that monozygotic females are nearly identical but may have epigenetic differences and those differences increase with age. Physically, this woman and the one we picked up from the basement are completely identical."

"A clone?"

"That's what some of the eggheads we flew in from Tokyo think. Although we're all having trouble digesting all that we're seeing. Right now we're trying to track down all the researchers that are involved in this kind of work but no one, as far as we know, has even come close to being this advanced."

"'There are more things in heaven and earth...Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'"

"What was that..."

"Oh, nothing... just Shakespeare."

"Inspector Kirihara, if you don't mind me saying, you don't seem that surprised... or sceptical..."

"Sergeant, the things that I've seen these past few years... some of which would turn your blood cold. This... Anna Westford... whatever she turns out to be... would just be another unexplainable character in a rogue gallery of oddities."

"Now I understand why Tokyo recommended you."

"See _that_ surprises me. Tokyo and I don't exactly see eye to eye on most things these days. I'm astonished that they even dared to mention my name."

Sergeant Matsumoto smirked and, in deference to his partner, wisely kept his opinions to himself. _I think I'm really going to like working with this woman. _

* * *

Misaki entered a large cell containing the bare necessities. A bed on the other side of it and a plain wooden table in the middle. The woman who was huddled up in the corner of it appeared to be sleeping. She jumped with a start when she heard footsteps.

Anna Westford ambled her way to her visitor and looked at her curiously, like a child looking at a new pet.

"It's you... I heard that you're a cop."

"I am."

"You don't look like a cop."

"I'm not sure if I should be happy or insulted."

"You're too pretty to be a cop."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Are you here to ask me questions?"

"It depends."

"On...?"

"Whether you want me to ask you questions."

"So, this is like a game..."

"If you like..."

"You're interesting. Not like the others. The other cops are boring and they're always shouting."

"If you don't want me to shout, I won't."

"Okay... you can ask me whatever you like."

"Are you Anna Westford?"

"Well... I am... sort of..." The woman answered thoughtfully.

"Sort of?"

"I am Mina."

"Are you one of Anna's personalities?"

Mina grinned cheerfully. "I am but how did you know?"

"How is it possible?"

"It's crazy, isn't it?" Mina looked at Misaki mischievously. "But you don't seem that surprised."

"I've met Clara too."

"You have? And you're still alive?" Mina gasped.

"Barely escaped with my life."

Mina looked highly impressed. "Wow... that's wicked."

"Are you a doll... or a clone...?"

The suspect shook her head. "It isn't like that. I guess... you could... say that we are closer to being like clones."

"How many of you are there?"

"Dunno... really... Anna might know."

"Where is Anna?"

"We think she's in Naha but doesn't show her face much. We protect her in our own way. Everyone seems to want to hurt her."

"I don't want to hurt her. I just want to talk to her."

"Talk to her about what?" Mina eyed Misaki suspiciously.

There was no need to sidestep the question. "About Lucien Blair. You may have heard that he died last month."

"No kidding!" Mina exclaimed. "Not Lucien? He was the best."

"Clara said that Lucien and Anna were married once."

Mina was sucking her thumb and nodding. "Yeah, a long time ago. Before the accident..."

"What accident?"

"Before... all of us... you know... happened."

"Do you know how... 'you happened' "?

"Not really. We used to be a part of Anna, right from when she was a little girl of six. But she didn't really know about us. She was always sad because she had to live in that horrible, dark basement. Her mother used to bring men home a lot... and some of them were really bad. A nice lady like you can't even imagine what some of these men did to Anna."

"Do you know how we can find Anna?"

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"All I want to do is talk to Anna."

"So you can blame her for Lucien's death..."

"I don't think she killed Lucien."

"Then who did?"

"Clara, most likely."

"Yes... she didn't like Lucien very much. It's possible. But most of us haven't seen him in a very long time."

"So how do we find Anna?"

"Well, you don't. She usually finds us."

* * *

Misaki drummed her fingers on the table and stared at the plot plant already thinking about her next move. Mina-Anna had given them much to chew over. Her Okinawa counterparts were studying her with great interest.

"Do you believe her, Kirihara?" Chiaki asked casually. "About the whole split personality-clone thing..."

"It would be easier to but we don't know if this kind of technology exists on a scale that she was talking about. One thing's for sure: She seemed to believe in what she said."

"It could be a scam."

"I haven't discounted that possibility but there's a body in your morgue that needs to be accounted for."

"Yes... that body... very inconvenient. Death by electrocution." The sergeant muttered and Misaki shifted uneasily in her seat. "But they could be twins and she's lying about 'the others'."

"But there's nothing in her birth records to suggest multiple births in her history." Misaki pointed at the file in front of her.

"There's that."

"And if she's right and there are other Anna Westford clones out there..."

"Are they going to be a problem for us?" Inspector Chiaki looked semi-terrified at the prospect.

"I wish I knew..."

"What is your recommendation?"

"Do what you always do... follow the evidence... wherever it takes you..."

* * *

Now that she was unofficially back at work, Kirihara felt ready to face the world again. No doubt she was fatigued by the morning's brief labours but work was still her _raison d'être_. In her world where heaven and hell intermingled everyday, where matters seemed to be spinning increasingly out of control, policing was the rock under her feet... the one thing that felt real when all else made as much sense as Wonderland.

The local police checked her into a room at a boarding house in downtown Naha. The air around it was musty but the room was clean. The owner, according to Matsumoto, was an ex-cop who decided to retire in Okinawa. There was a decent view of the street and Matsumoto assured her that the food in the area was unsurpassed. He promised to check in with her in the morning.

When her colleague left, she wondered where he was. BK-201, that is. She had naturally assumed that he had been laying low after the incident at the Beachside Resort. The Syndicate and Tokyo would surely be on to him, given the evidence. Still, she couldn't help feeling a little put out by his absence. Surely it couldn't be too hard for the Black Grim Reaper to let her know that he was safe... or more importantly, to make sure that she was alive.

Misaki slapped herself on the forehead and scolded herself for acting like they were a couple. She knew she was being silly and there was nothing holding him to her. Nothing at all. Why that contractor insisted on saving her life repeatedly was rapidly turning into a frustrating and perplexing predicament.

Did he do it out of some kind of odd contractor altruism? Did he want something from her? Did he actually have romantic feelings for her?

_Can we even have a romantic relationship like normal people?_

Could BK-201 have human feelings for a normal woman?

The kiss suggested the distinct possibility that he did but Misaki talked herself out of making too much of it. Soon she had doubts about what had transpired. _Maybe it wasn't even a kiss. Maybe I imagined it._

Clearly normality on the romantic front was the sort of thing that happened to other people. She just didn't fit the mould and seemed unlikely to do so.

_Hunting contractors by day... moping about one by night. Yup... just another day trapped between Heaven and Hell._

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_Thank you all for your comments. This must be the most supportive fandom that I've ever been involved in. I'm astonished at how interested people are in my absurd story and take the trouble to tell me so. It's not that I'm not loving it but I'm super grateful for the encouragement that I've received after the last two updates._

_A few people hinted kindly that it was rather sadistic of me to cynically include a kissing scene when a protagonist has been so brutally er... assaulted. Well, if you watch Jdramas, you'll know that the Japanese don't do real onscreen kissing. They're more like passionless sideways lip touching. I imagine it must have something to do with their censorship laws. And when it looks like the characters might be kissing with more enthusiasm, they dim the lights. Anyway, that's sort of what I envisaged when I wrote that scene in that last chapter._

_Anyway, this will be my last update for a couple of weeks, at least. I'm writing for three other fandoms as well and I have job and a family so I'll be taking a break from DTB for a bit. Thanks for reading and stay safe._


	10. It's Nice to Finally Meet You, Mr

**A Whiter Shade of Grey**

**Part 10: It's Nice to Finally Meet You, Mr Grim Reaper**

In a world where fair is foul and foul is fair, even the wisest of men inevitably make fools of themselves.

On a cold, quiet evening, the hunter was being hunted. The hunter, whose appellation struck fear in the hearts in law enforcement agencies worldwide, was himself the target of some unknown, albeit, audacious stalker.

That the hunter was being hunted persistently for as long as he was, was the least surprising part in the whole affair.

The hunter knew, of course, that he was being tracked. With all his well-developed predatory senses firing at full capacity, he had known from the beginning. However, as the stalking creature had chosen to remain silently in shadows, he was content for a time to keep up the pretence of being utterly oblivious.

On his part there was no plan to quietly dispose of his tenacious interloper... no trap around the corner... no full frontal attack... Only plain indifference and perhaps even a shade of contempt.

Whomever it was that was tracking him mattered little in the scheme of things. His thoughts had lain elsewhere.

A creeping trickle of inconvenient sentiments saw him set aside his well-honed survival instincts to stay out of sight and out of mind. For her sake he would forego his long held creed to dwell in the darkness and to emerge only when all other souls were resting their weary bodies.

It was entirely uncharacteristic of the world's most infamous assassin to be flinging caution to the wind.

Irked by his own cavalier attitude to needless public exposure, the contractor paused to take stock of recent happenings. Not being prone to even the most superficial introspection, the BK-201 of old, who lived by his own rules of survival, would never confess to being protective about an officer of the law, who in recent past had been his most determined adversary. Still it had been his idea for her to be his eyes and ears in places even the Dark Grim Reaper could not gain easy access to. The tentative bond that held them together was solidifying into something untenable. The seeds had taken root and worse still he couldn't recall the exact moment when he began to see her in a different light.

Worse still, that undefinable, untenable something was leading him to increasing moments of calculated recklessness. In effect, it was most likely putting her life in jeopardy.

Rationalizations aside, Hei felt entirely responsible for the most recent debacle. Whatever he was thinking at the time, he was off his game letting Kirihara take all the risks. Fool that he was, he had let a mere mortal deal with the powers of gods and monsters on her own. While he was free to gamble his own life away, it went against the grain to let her do any of the heavy lifting.

Strategically, it had been an insipid move. Despite his own internal misgivings, Kirihara was clearly not just any mere mortal. Not in a million years would she let others do what she wouldn't do herself. This sense of personal responsibility was what made her unique. She was a throwback and a bearer of bygone virtues.

That ingrained zealotry that drove her into peril placed him in a dilemma. His own capricious honour code prevented him from being a mere observer... or bystander... while she plunged into one hazardous situation after another.

All of which saw him exposing himself to unnecessary confrontations which meant that sooner or later the authorities would not be much further behind.

The authorities, however, were probably the least of his worries. Eluding capture was an occupational hazard... for as long as he could remember and a way of life that he had become accustomed to. Recklessness, however, was inexcusable in his line of work. With all that had transpired in recent months, the world's most elusive contractor was only too aware that he was walking the paper thin tightrope between freedom and capture.

Hei was not feeling especially suicidal nor would he ever, and he wasn't one to let down his guard. But he was savouring an unfamiliar sensation. An inexplicable stirring within that had caught him unawares. Forming an attachment with a woman was the last thing he had wanted.

It was convenient to ascribe it to another one of those rumblings of responsibility that surfaced now and again. True, he felt a certain kind of responsibility for Yin and yet... the feelings he had for Misaki were not of the same ilk. As one who kept his feelings under wraps as a matter of habit, these new sensations were a threat to his carefree, nomadic existence.

Living the life of a wandering assassin had its benefits. One had no attachments so one didn't concern oneself with the life and death consequences of others.

In an era when alliances were like shifting sand, it was far more expedient to see interactions as fast and loose entities – here today and gone tomorrow. It eliminated any need for the tough calls... the moment when hard-headedness would have to triumph over sentiment.

This newfound protective urge was transforming perceptibly into something else. What that something else was, though not unpleasant was concerning. The Black Grim Reaper was learning to care for Misaki in ways that would be unlikely to end well... for either of them.

With the fine lines of their relationship blurring in his mind, it was becoming more difficult to stay away. Unbeknownst to Kirihara, he had been her invisible guardian... ever watchful while keeping his distance.

For the three weeks that she was recuperating in hospital, he was the new clumsy orderly. His new colleagues, who rolled their eyes at the new recruit's storeroom bungling, had no idea that behind the mask was the world's deadliest assassin. He played the shy, timid errand boy only too well. It was a role he had become rather adept at while donning the Li Shenshuang alias. He slipped back into the old disguise like one reuniting with a long lost friend and it gave him endless opportunity to survey Misaki's surroundings and to deal with any unexpected situations should they arise.

Her safety was paramount even if it meant foregoing his own. Incapacitate in hospital, she was completely vulnerable to all manner of attacks from within and out. Hei had elected to remain... to be the sentinel whose methods she abhorred. Detection was always a possibility but for BK-201, it was a small price to pay.

The disguise had worked well but with her discharged, it was time to bow out. Misaki hadn't given much thought to the orderly that came and went - not that he gave her any chance to. He took care not to get too close lest she inadvertently gave him away. To his great relief, the speed of her recovery exceeded his expectations. Her resilience was never in doubt but interrogation under torture would traumatize even the bravest of men much less a petite female cop.

Misaki, he was well aware, had a reputation for being unyielding. She was feared by her colleagues and was increasingly at loggerheads with her superiors. She was single-minded about cases and plunged into danger with no thought for herself. Her courage (or pigheadedness, some might wish to call it) was borne from convictions. She was an idealist but not an ideologue... she lived her life zealously in accordance with her deeply held convictions. Someone like her was as rare as a Kohinoor.

He had chosen well. Perhaps he had done too well. His need to be close to Misaki was bringing sensations to bear... sensations he had long forgotten. Old friends that were merely renewing their long-lost place in the recesses of his heart.

For now, Hei would brush aside the creeping dilemma of his heart. His mind was presently occupied with more pressing concerns. His pursuer seemed determined to stay on his trail, neither revealing himself nor making any moves to attack. It was decidedly odd. It begged the question... what did this person want? This cat and mouse ritual had repeated itself for many days with no endgame in sight.

Now that Misaki had been discharged from hospital, he felt disinclined to let this dance with his unknown stalker continue especially if his next move was to renew contact with Misaki. After some deliberation, he resolved that the back alley of Ginza Street would be private enough a place to end this extended piece of kabuki.

* * *

Hei skated swiftly across the narrow alley way and released his grappling hook instinctively as he leapt to scale the wall in front of him. Cocking his head to one side, he could hear that his pursuant was not far behind and Hei instantly readied himself for attack at the exact moment. As he heard footsteps, he swung towards the noise, released his hold on the wire and fell on his prey with some degree of satisfied vehemence.

Grasping his captive in an arm lock position, he asked, "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

The reply was unexpectedly cheerful. "Took you long enough to notice..."

Hei was mildly surprised._ A woman?_

"I noticed." Hei's entire physical presence exuded a deadly calm. "But as long as you didn't blow my cover, you were irrelevant."

"Irrelevant?" The speaker howled indignantly. "You sure know how to make a woman feel appreciated." She retorted while making a half-hearted bid to wriggle free.

"Why have you been following me?" Hei asked again unperturbed by his garrulous quarry.

"Wow, you are really a one note kind of guy, aren't you?"

Withdrawing his arm lock Hei released his captive unceremoniously. Quick as a flash, he retracted his grappling hook and slipped it into his dark overcoat. Scanning the area for one last look, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" His pursuant demanded clutching on to the sleeves of his coat.

"Somewhere else... "

"Hey... don't you want to know why I'm following you?"

"Not really... since you don't seem interested in telling me."

"You don't do foreplay, do you?"

"No... not especially. I have no interest in having relations with you."

"It's a _joke_ buddy... Why so serious... Sheesh... Don't know what that lady cop sees in you..." the woman grumbled.

At the off-hand mention of Misaki, Hei immediately became alert. "Is this about Inspector Kirihara...?" He sounded almost defensive.

Evidently his captive was in a playful mood. "Yes... and no..."

"I'm in no mood for games..." Hei felt his muscles tensing. His protective instincts had immediately kicked in.

"Dear Lord... you're all sunshine and light aren't you? Can't you just play along?"

"No... I don't play."

"You and that lady cop... really need to get it on... All that unresolved sexual tension is making you a dull boy."

Although he would never give any indication of the fact, Hei was growing impatient at this banter. "It would appear that we have nothing of substance to say to each other so perhaps it would be better to take my leave now."

"Jeeze man... alright, alright... It's Anna. She wants to see you."

"Anna? Anna Westford?"

"The one and only." The reply was breezy and flippant but after a short pause, the speaker turned serious, "She thinks you're one of the good guys. You and that lady cop."

"Is that why you've been following me?"

"Kind of..."

"You're not very good at it."

"Well... we can't all be like you Mr Grim Reaper aka BK-201 aka Killer Ninja."

"You're lucky that I didn't kill you."

"Oh, I know... Believe me, I know, Mr Grim Reaper." said the jovial female brightly. "I heard about what you did to Clara."

"News travels fast..."

"Our circle is a small one... Besides, we're all expendable anyway. Only Anna matters."

"What's your relationship to Anna Westford?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"Sigh... you are so predictable..."

"Well..."

"Don't keel over in shock."

"I promise not to." Hei remarked dryly. "After all, I'm the one who usually does the shocking..."

"Ding, ding, ding! The man has a sense of humour after all." The energetic female exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm waiting..."

"I'm her clone."

* * *

Sleep was an elusive friend for a weary and battered frame. Misaki tried desperately to sleep with no success. The streetlight that shone into her room had a stark and eerie quality. It reminded her that she was no closer to solving the mysteries that surrounded Anna Westford and Lucien Blair. In fact, the questions were piling up fast. The ability to clone oneself, if that was the case, was quite a remarkable gift.

A shadow was cast on the brightly lit floor. She could barely make out the figure in the dark but she knew it bore her no ill will. Tired and defenceless as she felt, there was no trepidation in her voice when she murmured,

"Are you well..."

Misaki was becoming accustomed to the ways of the wandering reaper. Locked doors and windows were no barriers nor were they sacrosanct.

"Are you..." was the response brimming with quiet concern. "Your injuries..."

"I'm fine really. Just tired."

"You should get some sleep..." The cloaked figure turned to take his leave.

"I wish I could..." Misaki sighed. "Seems like the hardest thing to do right now..."

Minutes passed before the curtain of silence that separated their thoughts and feelings was drawn aside.

Misaki gazed at the ceiling for inspiration. "You shouldn't have come... it's becoming dangerous."

Her night time visitor said nothing. He was a man of few words but many thoughts he preferred to keep to himself.

Receiving no response, she continued abruptly, "You saved my life again. It's becoming a bit of habit with you."

"We are partners, Misaki. You were in danger... I should have been..."

She cut him off impatiently, "Good God... not you too... Honestly, all this worrying about my safety is becoming ridiculous. I'm a cop for goodness sake. Getting the bad guy is what I do. You of all people should know that."

"There are forces at work that might not appreciate your heroics."

"I don't do this to be heroic."

"I know."

_Do you? Perhaps you really do..._

Silence, once again, sprung up, between them. Both found it hard to say what they really thought.

Misaki took a deep breath before muttering almost shyly. "Thank you... for saving me... again."

"There is no need. I did... what was... necessary..."

The weary detective let out a heavy sigh_. "Necessary"... I'm trying to thank the man and he uses the word "necessary" like a scientist._

"There was nothing _necessary_ about it. In the same way it wasn't _necessary_ for you to come tonight either." She could just manage to retort.

"Are you angry..."

"No... not angry... just... frustrated..." Misaki was too fatigued to argue. "We think so differently."

"Perhaps... That is why the partnership has been generally effective."

_Generally effective... so cold and clinical..._

"Why did you come?" Misaki changed the subject abruptly lest her thoughts turned to matters more personal.

"To talk. I would have been here earlier except that someone else wanted to have a word."

"Yes?"

"Anna Westford wants to meet."

"With you?"

"With us... both of us..."

"That's going to be impossible. Tokyo's probably got people watching me."

"You mean like the two agents staking out across the street and another in the next room?"

"Don't miss much, do you?"

"I think I might have the solution."

"A solution that doesn't involve them being dead, I hope."

* * *

_You were right... about Inspector Kirihara... how did you guess?_

It wasn't too difficult. She's a lonely crusader... Underneath all the icy maiden facade is a beating heart. And a passionate one at that.

_Should we bring her in?_

No... not yet... it's important to let things play out...

_For how long?_

Only time will tell...

* * *

Her slender frame unable to resist the soothing call of slumber, soon succumbed. In the stillness of the night, light was dawning. Misaki had an inkling that she wasn't alone and there was no need go at it alone. All those mysteries, secrets that were haunting her in her waking dreams, were no longer hers to bear alone. There was something reassuring... almost comforting about his companionable silence. The wandering reaper was now a fixture in her life. She could sense he, who was a riddle and a contradiction, was barracking for her side and watching over her.

For now... at least... that was enough...

* * *

**Author's Notes**: _My deepest gratitude to readers old and new, for your interest in my little story and for taking the time to post reviews. It is so much easier to persevere when you have people barracking for you._

_Update: Thanks Dear4Life for pulling me up on the moonlight blunder. It's been a while and my memory is going to pot. I've made the necessary correction._


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